Deja vu all over again with the Harris County Republican Party Vacancy Committee. In April, their Taliban philosophy caused them to reject a gay candidate for precinct chair. This month, it caused them to table the application of a supremely qualified Asian-American, which in turn caused the candidate to withdraw his application. He’s too invested in the Republican Party to leave it and he will still promote the Republican brand but it is a shame that HCRP Chair Jared Woodfill supports this committee.

Here’s the deal. Nghi Ho is a four-term Alief ISD Board member. He is a veteran, having served as a Lieutenant in Navy in the first Gulf War. A graduate of the University of Texas. A successful small business owner. A few of his community positions:

• Vice President:  Alief I.S.D. Board of Trustees
• Vice President:  Alief Noon Lions Club
• Director:  West Houston Medical Center, a HCA Hospital
• Past Director:  Houston West Chamber of Commerce
• Past Director:  Asian Chamber of Commerce
• Past Director:  Crestwater Subdivision H.O.A.
• Past Director:  Alief Education Foundation
• Member:  Alief Community Association

And it just so happens that tonight, he will be hosting the Texas Asian Republican Club US Flag Day Dinner.  Which will feature Texas Republican Party Chair Steve Munisteri. He recently spoke to the State Republican Executive Committee about outreach to the Asian community. He’s been featured on television about outreach to the Asian community:

Nghi Ho, President of Texas Asian Republican Caucus, spoke on the KTRK Channel 13 show “Visions” about the Presidential election and how Republicans needed to come in to the Chinese community more to talk about issues of conservative family values, limited government, pro business and low taxes. Mr. Ho also stated Republicans should have advertised more in local Asian publications, TV and radio stations.

Add to all of that that he has been a precinct chair in the past. So when he applied for the vacant chair position in his current precinct, it should have been a no-brainer.

Except that five members of the vacancy committee are the ones without brains.

You see, when you apply for that position, you have to fill out a questionnaire, which is normal and expected. Nothing wrong with letting people know your political beliefs when applying for a political position. Click here for the questionnaire. Note question 9:

Abortion is primarily a question of a woman’s control of her own body, therefore she should have the right to choose an abortion under all circumstances.

Mr. Ho answered this with TA – Tend to agree. Uh, oh, no Ho!

Mr. Ho spoke candidly of his view that the party focuses too much on social issues, turning off Asian voters, and that he is pro-choice on abortion, but that the Asian community has few unwed mothers in contrast to other groups, and few abortions, and that these social issues are not high priority to them.

Turn out the lights, the party is over. Forget that Reagan philosophy of “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor.” Not with the HCRP Taliban. Two of the committee spoke from the heart that they just could not approve a person to represent the party who would not advocate pro-life in his precinct, one noting that he believed God would consider this and similar votes at the committee when his own eternal life is judged. Arguments included that this was a core principle of the party, and to stray from the core would be to lose enthusiasm and votes of religious conservatives.

You’re gonna go to hell because you allowed a person to champion Republican pro-family values, pro-opportunity policies in a precinct in Harris County, Texas? Seriously? Damn, hell’s going to have to expand if that is all it takes to get in.

Remember, we’re not talking about some guy walking up and down the streets of his precinct waving “we need more abortions!” signs. We’re talking about a proven Republican values champion organizing a precinct to get voters to the polls to vote for Republicans.

But wait! There’s more!

Turns out that they decided to “table” his application rather than reject it but not on the basis of his abortion answer. Wink, wink.

Nope, it turns out that they decided Asian-Americans just can’t handle time management. Yep. You see, since Mr. Ho is thinking about running for a fifth term on the Alief ISD school board, the Taliban faction decided that he would be too busy to handle precinct chair duties because, get this, a precinct chair position would require his full attention.

Dude, have you ever met a precinct chair? Most times it is hard to get a quorum a the executive committee meetings because they don’t bother to show up. Many of them don’t even bother to show up on election day. The idea that the Taliban would decide that this particular candidate, successful businessman, veteran, community organizer, etc., couldn’t handle four meetings a year and an election is a joke. This was about his answer on abortion, pure and simple.

Unfortunately, the joke is on the Republicans in Harris County. After the committee tabled his application on a 5-4 vote, Mr. Ho withdrew it and is no longer interested. I don’t blame him one bit.

If you want to know why so many Republican candidates in Harris County lost last November, look no further than Chairman Jared Woodfill and his Taliban philosophy. Yes, HIS Taliban philosophy. He owns it. No need to blame anyone but him.

I hope that Steve Munisteri enjoys his dinner tonight, knowing that the HCRP Taliban rejected the man he’s sitting next to. The rest of us are wondering which group is next on the Taliban hit list.

UPDATED 6-14-13 @ 12:30pm – inserted Reagan graphic courtesy of RhymesWithRight.com.