Okay, so we all know that I’m not a fan of Steve Stockman. I didn’t like the blatant lies his campaign put out against my guy, Texas State Sen. Mike Jackson, or his performance at the Clear Lake Area Republicans forum prior to his July 31st runoff win against Stephen Takach. That said, no one ever accused him of not being a grassroots campaigner and I had the opportunity to see his efforts first hand yesterday.
The event was a fundraiser for one of the three delegates from CD-36 to the Republican National Convention, Travis Bryan, held by former candidate for Texas Senate 11 Daniel McCool. These types of small meetings/fundraisers are the backbone of grassroots politics. Daniel invited us to his home, had his wife grill burgers and dogs, the kids went swimming, and we all had a great time. As for “dignitaries”, I noted the following: my precinct chair Joan McMillan (377), precinct chair elect Mike Robertson (415), Republican nominee for Constable, Pct. 2 Chris McDonald, CD 36 Alternate Delegate Jonathan Kocurek, and LaPorte ISD Trustee David Janda. Heck, half of the attendees were dignitaries!
So we are sitting around jawing and eating and in pops future Rep. Stockman. Most of the 15 attendees were not exactly admirers, so what he did was the equivalent of sticking his head into the lions den. He brought a check for Travis and then shook hands with everyone that would shake his hand. Trust me, not all who attended wanted to!
You know what? I respect that. A lot. We talk about unity and mending fences but Steve Stockman is out trying to do it. Look, it will be a long time before we forget that flyer he sent out about Mike. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t true, and he shouldn’t have done it. And the Takach supporters didn’t like some of the stuff he put out about their guy. But that stuff is history and we need to come together and focus on winning this seat in November. There is no question about Stockman’s philosophy or which way he will vote – he will vote libertarian, which is fine for most conservatives. One thing is certain, he isn’t going to be voting to increase taxes or expand the reach of the federal government, so we can take much solace in that. If we are still mad at him in two years about the way he conducted his campaign, we can challenge him in the primary. But for now, we need to support him in any way that we can.
We think that we have an automatic win because of the way the district is proportioned between R’s and D’s but we still need to get out and campaign. We cannot be lackadaisical and let a certain victory slip through our hands. Mr. Stockman is doing his part and I’m glad to see it. Now it is your turn. Those of you in CD36 that didn’t support him need to suck it up and click here to volunteer. C’mon, if I can do it, anyone can!
