The most important decision we delegates will make this week will be the selection of the next leader of our party organization.
As many of you know, I have spent a lot of time over the last 18 months analyzing the condition of our party organization locally. That activity also led me to discuss and analyze the effectiveness of our party organization at the state level with many party leaders across the state. Based on my discussions and analysis, here is what I’ve decided:
- We are lucky to have three, long-time activists, who care deeply about this party, its principles, and its platform, running to serve a full-term as Chair;
- This race is not about changing the principles or platform of the party—it’s about how we re-build an effective organization to support the election of candidates who will implement our principles and platform; and
- Steve Munisteri is the best candidate in the race.
What is it about Steve Munisteri that has led me to this decision? He has shown that he understands that we will not keep Texas in the Republican column, and keep its policies conservative, without an effective and functioning statewide political organization that is focused on winning elections. He has shown this understanding in three ways.
First, Steve honestly has confronted the actual present condition of the party organization, and has provided a plan to address it and improve it. You can’t build an effective plan for the future, unless you correctly understand the reality of the present. The reality is that our party organization is deeply in debt, and it lacks the proper organizational tools to effectively manage and grow a volunteer organization over the vast and diverse territory of this State. Steve has demonstrated that he understands the challenges the party faces financially and organizationally, and has provided specific plans for addressing them. Importantly, Steve has made clear that his plans involve fixing the party’s organizational problems while adhering to, and strengthening the party’s commitment to our platform and principles.
Meanwhile, the appointed incumbent has not publicly acknowledged any problems with the party’s finances or organization, and therefore, has not offered any solutions to the current problems facing the party. This “head-in-the-sand” approach is incomprehensible given the fact that no one is accusing her of creating the mess she inherited last fall. However, her campaign’s blissful ignorance does not instill confidence that she will address these problems if elected to a full term.
As for the other challenger, I believe he, too, understands the problems facing the party, and for that reason would be an improvement over the appointed incumbent and her predecessor. However, I have not seen the same type of specificity from him about how he would address those problems as I’ve seen and heard from Steve.
Second, Steve has promised to use his private-sector experiences to address the challenges facing the party organization. All three candidates have been long-time activists for the GOP and conservative causes. Steve, however, brings to this race his real private-sector management experience, in addition to his over 30 years of campaign and party experience, which are absolutely vital for the next Chair to possess as he or she tackles the fiscal and organizational problems that the party currently faces.
Third, Steve has shown that he understands the need for unity within the party by conducting this campaign in a positive manner. Steve has remained focused on what needs to be done to improve the effectiveness of the party, even while he has been attacked personally.
In contrast to this “high road”, the appointed incumbent and her allies (like many of those who opposed me in the recent race for HCRP Chair) have spread false nonsense that her challengers, including Steve, seek to change the principles and platform of the party. Sadly (and unlike my race), she and her allies are even spreading false rumors about Steve personally. When will we learn that slander is not leadership?!? When will those who profess their Christian beliefs the loudest remember that it is wrong to bear false witness?!? The residue left by such political filth impedes, rather than promotes, unity.
Finally, I refer to the incumbent as “the appointed incumbent” because she was not elected to this seat through a competitive race before convention delegates. Instead, she was anointed by the SREC to fill the remainder of her predecessor’s term, which expires this week. In fact, this same back-room process was used to originally select her predecessor. It is clear that the appointed incumbent and her allies would prefer to retain control of the party organization through such a back-room selection process, with the hope that such a selection will be ratified at the next convention, rather than compete for the office in the open. It’s time to have an open debate and election for this office!
No matter who wins or loses this race, we need to embrace competition in this party: competition between candidates, ideas, and approaches. No one person or faction holds a monopoly on the right ideas for how to communicate our shared conservative principles, how to grow our party consistent with those principles, and how to develop innovative ways to implement those ideas into public policies. We need to listen to and use all of the innovative ideas that are percolating among the grassroots, elected officials, candidates, and affiliated organizations. We need to embrace competition within our party—not destroy it and the competitor. And, when the dust settles, the winner must embrace the opponents, and their allies, and unite the party.
Steve’s candidacy, which he announced after the appointment of the incumbent by the SREC, is a living statement in support of open debate and competition within the party—about our present and our future. We need that debate, and we need that competition. We need Steve Munisteri to be our next Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas.
