I thought I’d seen everything in Harris County Republican Party politics. And in truth, I’ve probably seen something similar to this and just forgotten about it, hoping beyond hope that we were beyond it. Sadly, we aren’t and for those of you wondering, it has nothing to do with Jared Woodfill, Paul Simpson, or the party chair race or structure. This is a sad, sad tale of an open judicial bench, two females of African descent trying to win it in a Republican primary, and the supporters of the lone white male in the race doing everything they can to see him win.
John Schmude is a candidate for the 247th Family District Court. His two opponents are Judge M. L. Walker and Melanie Flowers. Here is an email I received from John Schmude supporter Dr. Steve Hotze:
For a real treat, click on the video and watch Dr. Hotze read the script.
What are the facts? Did the two women vote for Barack Obama in 2008? Yes, they did. I discussed that here. But why does Dr. Hotze insist on telling his viewers/readers that the two women were part of an “African American” sorority? Hmm. Truth? Yep, I suppose it is. But truth is often more than facts. Why did he identify it as “African American”? You tell me.
Next, he says that the women belong to a sorority is rabidly pro-abortion. Really? Dr. Hotze provides no evidence, he simply asserts it. I have met both women multiple times, and have sat over coffee with each of them for a couple of hours and neither woman expressed anything close to being pro-choice, much less “rabidly pro-abortion”. But hey, they are alumni and Dr. Hotze decided that the sorority was pro-abortion, so obviously two plus two equals fifteen! Gotta love that new math of his.
Then he moves on to say the sorority is pro-lesbian. Again, he provides no evidence, Dr. Hotze just says it is so, so therefore it is. And by inference, these women obviously support the homosexual agenda, right? What exactly is the homosexual agenda, anyway? Equal rights for people made in the image of the Creator? Oh no!
And radical left, don’t forget that. Again, no evidence.
With influential leaders like this, is there any doubt about why the Republican Party is shrinking?
I texted this to Dr. Hotze, copying John Schmude:
The email you sent in support of Schmude is a classic example of why we are going to cease to exist as a party. It is racist, homophobic, and the attempt to portray both women as pro-abortion using the verbiage about the sorority is despicable and is no different than lying about them. I realize that you’ve known John a long time but winning by smearing people is not moral, ethical, or something that will make Jesus smile. David Jennings, BigJollyPolitics.com
To his credit, Dr. Hotze called me back. The first question he asked was, “Are you a homosexual?” You might say it went downhill from there. I found it interesting that during the very, shall we say loud, call, he didn’t bother with the racism or false attacks on abortion but almost entirely on homosexuality.
I also asked Schmude about it – he claimed to have no knowledge of the email. I sent him a copy of it and I told him he could disavow it. I received this response:
David,
I strongly believe that a candidate has an obligation to convey to voters why they should vote FOR the candidate and not merely why they should vote AGAINST another candidate. As such, I do not like negative campaigning, and I believe that my campaign has steered clear of personal attacks that denigrate the political process. I certainly respect both of my worthy opponents who are two very accomplished women that I have had the privilege of getting to know both personally and professionally. The source of the email is self-evident by the disclaimer: “pd pol ad Conservative Republicans of Harris County“. It did not come from my campaign; nor was the content of this email approved in advance by my campaign. Despite the fact that I certainly consider Dr. Hotze to be a friend – and I admire him for the work he has done in standing up for our constitutional liberties and in fighting for so many conservative principles and values – he is not on my payroll, and he does not work for my campaign. I’m sure you are aware that he is quite independent, and he has never had a problem speaking his mind.
That’s not quite disavowing the content of what Hotze sent. More like, well, you know, I can’t control what others do on my behalf. Wink, wink.
Sometimes it is tough being a Republican. But it is never tough standing up for what is right. I believe that all people are made in the image of the Creator. As such, I believe that all people should be able to participate in the public arena, and that we should make our judgements based not on the color of someone’s skin, not on their sexual orientation, not on false accusations of their positions, but on the content of their character, their qualifications for the job, and on their true positions on the issues.
Folks, I’m not fooling myself. I do this as a hobby and take no money from anyone, nor do I have the personal resources to send out hundreds of thousands of ballots listing my choice on them so that voters don’t have to think about who they are voting for. I don’t know if Hotze will be able to get his candidate that comes from good conservative stock elected but I know that he has more influence than I do. I also know that if he gets his candidate elected, it will not be with my vote. I’m voting for Judge M.L. Walker because she is the most qualified person for the job, despite the fact that Dr. Hotze doesn’t think she comes from good conservative stock.
Near the end of my conversation with Dr. Hotze, he told me that I didn’t have big enough balls to stand up to the secular homosexual agenda. I told him that I had balls big enough to stand up to him. I didn’t tell him this but I’m also strong enough to love him as my brother despite our differences because we are both created in the image of God.
Rhymes W. Right says
But Dave, you didn’t answer the most important question for us – are you a homosexual?
Glenn says
Huh, waddya know. And who did these guys (Hotze, Lowry, etc.) endorse for party chair? Oh yeah — Woodfill, same as you. You can’t blame a snake for biting. It’s what they do.
And this is the camp you chose to join, Dave???? Tsk, tsk.
David Jennings says
Yes, think about what I must think about that other camp.
David M. Wilson says
I have gotten to know all three of the candidates and I believe them ALL to be fine people. The real story here is about a person of influence within the establishment Harris County Republican Party that want would like to think there are no consequences for the things that he says and that he can control elections by extorting money from candidates in exchange for endorsements. We need to continue to expose Dr. Hotze and the rest of them until they have been rendered irrelevant.
Joseph says
I am somewhat confused after reading several of your columns on these issues.
For example in this one you link to another column where you state, “I think that if we, as a party, hold a single vote for Barack Obama as a litmus test of who we vote for while ignoring the life achievements and overall quality of the candidates that are on the ballot, we deserve the caricature of being small minded that our opponents paint us as.”
But then in another column you argue, “As you can see, the first time Bob Senter voted in a primary was 2008 – what are the odds that he voted for Barack Obama?… Galveston County voters, you have worked way too hard turning that county red to elect a Democrat pretending to be a Republican in House District 23…. Vote for the only Republican in the Republican Primary – Wayne Faircloth.”
Seems to me you are picking and choosing when you want Republican history to matter based on who you personally support. More power to you, but seems awfully absurd to attack someone else for doing the same thing.
David Jennings says
Joseph, you have way too many identities!
You would have a point if (a) Senter owned up to it and (b) the two ladies had not owned up to it.
See ya.
GoldBacon says
I agree with David M. Wilson that Hotze is bad for the local party, and he needs to be exposed for what he is. That said…I read and re-read the email including the highlighted passage and I just don’t hear any racism, sexism, or any other -ism in its contents.
And now that I have completed my defense of Hotze I shall go home and scrub myself in a bathtub full of bleach.
WonkoTheSane says
Could you please ask Dr. Hotze to explain what one’s feelings about homosexuality have to do with being a family court judge?
Tom Zakes says
So let me get this straight –
Your complaint with Schmude is not that HE said something racist or homophobic (whatever that word means) but that he didn’t join you in condemning one of his supporters?
I will be the first to say that I would never have made a connection between AKA and abortion or lesbians.
I have always thought of them as a service organization.
But they describe themselves as an African-American organization on the front page of their website (www.aka1908.com).
So is it racist for Hotze to describe an organization the same way they describe themselves?
Every time you have a campaign, there will be supporters who are motivated by different reasons.
It is wrong to say a candidate is bad because he or she has a supporter you disagree with.
Schmude has consistently been positive in his campaign, although he does point out that his opponents voted for O’Bomba.
I know you disagree with the relevance of that, but the main thing a family court judge does is make decisions.
And I think it calls a person’s decision-making process into question that they voted for O’Bomba.
I’m Tom Zakes and I approve this message.
Catherine Collins says
Tom Zakes – In addition to Ms. Flowers and Judge Walker, Alicia Franklin running in the 311th also voted for Obama. A good decision maker?
David Jennings says
Tom Zakes,
You probably should have put a full disclosure message to go along with your comment.
That said, if you don’t understand what Hotze was doing by putting “African-American” in the email, then I can’t help you. Schmude has not been quite as “positive” as you profess. Again, the disclosure?
I have talked about the problem of that vote. And I have expressed my reservations about it. Ask Paul Kubosh. But after discussing it with both women, I understand why they made that vote and more importantly, that they realize that their vote didn’t work out the way they thought it would.
DJ
Jason Barnes says
I did some digging into Alpha Kappa Alpha and learned that they are a coalition member on the “Leadership Conference” with over 200 groups, including Planned Parenthood, LaRaza, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and other “progressive” groups. Go to
http://www.civilrights.org/about/the-leadership-conference/coalition_members/
I assume that is what Dr Hotze was referring to and these organizations most definitely do not support moral or ethical agendas. To clarify, hate the sin not the sinner.
I do not know Dr Hotze, and I am a newcomer to the political process, but I can say that while I believe that it is unfair to infer guilt by association (especially with a sorority), I don’t really understand why you think this is racist.
Furthermore, ‘not guilty by association’ works both ways. If Melanie and Mecca aren’t guilty by association with their renowned sorority’s left wing affiliations then neither should John be guilty by association with an individual who endorses him. To do so is a smear and as you stated, “…winning by smearing people is not moral, ethical, or something that will make Jesus smile.”
Jesus says
10,000 years ago was the first time man used god to justify bullying. It is estimated that mankind has created over 100,000 created gods. Hate is Hate. The word Stock is demeaning to mankind. Live Stock. Get it now? Jesus will never smile while he is working for peanuts a bunch of white kooks he will starve to death though.
Dave Smith says
Simply because board members of a particular organization belong to certain other organizations says little to nothing about the members at a local level. I’m a member of a fraternity, and I have no idea of what boards and coalitions our national organization may or may not belong to. It would not surprise me if our national leadership were involved in pro-government organizations. I can tell you that my local chapter was not and is not involved thusly.
I knew plenty of AKA members when I was in college. It was a good organization and they were classy ladies.
S says
What concerns me more than the negative campaigning that Mr. Schmude has himself conducted (which does concern me, and I’ve seen it first hand in his candidate introduction at meetings) in addition to Dr. Hotze’s — is that he is not in fact experienced enough as a lawyer to be a judge in my opinion. Yes, technically, he will comply with the letter of the law AFTER the primary to have held a law license for a mere five years (he was licensed four + years ago in May 2009). But, the “hundreds of cases” Dr. Hotze alleges Mr. Schmude has participated in is an exaggeration if “hundreds” really means more than one (1) hundred and 26 in Harris, Montgomery & Fort Bend Counties all in. I don’t know him (other than seeing him introduce himself at some Republican events), and I’ve never seen him in action in the courthouse, or ever at the courthouses (I’m an attorney, too). Maybe he’ll be an appropriately experienced candidate for judge in a few years. Melanie Flowers and Meca Walker are both very experienced, and Melanie is the only board-certified candidate in the race. That means a lot.
M. Colter says
Both Flowers and Walker are board certified in family law. Only Walker has been a judge for at least the last five years.
Manuel Barrera says
I fail to see why stating that someone is homosexual or lesbian makes one homophobic.
I fail to see the problem with using the same language they use. When Yolanda Flores was running for HCC a mailer went out identifying her opponent as a homosexual. The homosexual community immediately resorted to name calling, homophobic for instance. Why is that her opponent could run ads in homosexual publications that he was “gay” and it is okay but it becomes homophobic when the opponent tells others the same thing?
Is Steve Kirkland, an open homosexual, trying to mislead the public by failing to state that he is “gay” in his mailers? If not why does the homosexual community get a different message that he is one of them?
David Jennings says
Manuel Barrera, I have no idea what point you are trying to make. You might want to try READING the post and then commenting. Cheers. DJ
Mainstream says
I can imagine the sort of ads the Democrats could run in November attacking the whole GOP ticket for racism. The black sororities are well respected for their charitable work, and I would bet nearly every black female professional and precinct chair is a member of one of them. This is a foolish attack, and I doubt we have heard the last of the repercussions from it.
Most offensive to me is the claim that these two black Republicans are “liberal Democrats” who switched over for convenience. I can imagine nothing less convenient than to be an active Republican in the black community. In fact, one of these ladies has been a GOP precinct chair for many years, and the other has been an officer of local GOP clubs for many years. Neither is a newcomer to the GOP.
Mainstream says
I may be the only one on this blog who feels this way, but I think it is disrespectful to refer to a sitting, elected President of the United States as O’Bomba. We Republicans ought to be better than that.
Emmett says
Steven Hotze and the large dollars being funneled to M.L. Walker by party officials are the problem here, not John Schmude. Hotze has picked one winner, the party another, and Schmude’s just trying to get to the finish line through the crossfire with victory and some degree of dignity in hand.
Texas BBQ Ranger says
I am a primary voter. I went through my slate of candidates this past Saturday with various endorsement mailers spread across my kitchen table. When I came to this race I had to go checkout the websites of each candidate. I liked what I saw with ML Walker. When I went to Schmude’s site, a statement caught my eye. “I am the only candidate in this race that did not vote for Barack Obama”. That troubled me enough to email ML Walker and to my surprise she called me on the phone(I left my cell number).
She explained to me that “yes I did vote for Obama in 2008 but did not in 2012. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.” I told her that was an acceptable answer and she would have our vote. After reading this blog, I am proud of my vote.
Tell Dr Hotze the next mailer I get from him will go in the trash.
Manuel Barrera says
I did read the post, all of it. Why the use of the word homophobia? If I have a condition of homophobia, I would assume that I am homophobic. I don’t think I have ever met you or Dr. Hotze but I find the word offensive as it is used to belittle persons that do not think that the homosexual lifestyle is a proper way to live one’s life. I guess I could refer to you as Christphobic as you seem to defend their life styles?
I don’t care what anyone does in their bedrooms, I just don’t like what it may doing to our children. Why is that homosexuality is in the increase according to studies? Where are the long studies as to the effect that being raised by homosexuals will have on children.
Tom Zakes says
So many comments, so little time.
First, the easy one:
Mainstream, your parents should have picked a different name for you.
You shouldn’t say you are mainstream if you are the only one who believes a certain way.
But being part Irish myself, I can use the Irish spelling for my fellow Irishman, our president’s surname.
No insult intended.
Second:
M. Colter – according to the State Bar website, Judge Walker is not board certified in any area of the law.
Third:
S- the requirement is not to be licensed five years, but four to be a District Court judge in Texas.
Ryan Patrick was licensed five years when Governor Perry appointed him to be judge of the 177th, after he had won 90{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the primary vote in 2012.
Annette Galic was licensed in November of 1990, and was elected to the 245th in 1994, where she served for 16 years.
Fourth:
Catherine Collins –
John consistently stated that all of his opponents vote for O, even when that list included Alicia Franklin.
I did not endorse her in her race for the 311th, nor do I support her in the runoff.
Fifth:
David, I apologize that I did not go to journalism school, but I’m not sure what you want me to disclose.
I did some paid consulting/fundraising work for John Schmude in September and October last year.
After that, the contract was terminated, as the terms permitted.
As far as I know, everything I did for John Schmude while “on the clock” stated that it was paid political advertising, and everything I did either before or after either said that it was paid for by me and not authorized by any candidate or committee, or had my catchphrase on it.
If you want me to disclose that I’ve known John since he was ten years old, I say that quite often.
If you want me to say that John’s dad represented me pro bono on a case from the trial court all the way up to the US Supreme Court, that factored into my support of him as well.
If you want me to disclose anything else, sorry. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
Was it racist for Dr. Hotze to refer to AKA using the same language that AKA uses on its website?
You tell me.
But I got an email last week from TFRO with photos of fifteen African American Republican candidates, including Mrs. Flowers and Judge Walker.
Is TFRO now racist?
I’m Tom Zakes and I approve this message.