The 2018 Texas GOP Convention and Censure

Andrew Breitbart once said, "If you can't sell freedom or liberty, you suck."  Yep, that pretty much sums up my weekend at the Texas GOP convention this weekend.  Let me expound.

I have been a delegate to the state convention every two years since 2010.  This convention marks my fourth convention and probably the most disappointing convention for me to date.  The attitudes displayed by my fellow convention goers was very saddening to me.  It's true what people say about politics bringing out the worst in people.

What I saw on display was the opposite in lots of cases of what we as Republicans and Libertarians claim to be 'for'.  We claim to be for a lot of things, freedom of speech, freedom to conduct your lives with personal responsibility, free markets, etc.  However, freedom of speech was the biggest bit of hypocrisy I saw within the convention and attitudes of convention goers.  When candidates and office holders were on stage, they were at times met with boos and jeers from the audience.  Some of them were shouted down and not even given a chance to speak their mind.  Just because we don't agree with someone one hundred percent of the time doesn't mean that they should be shouted down.

Another problem I have is with the idea of censure. To censure someone means to express severe disapproval  of someone or something, typically in a formal statement.  Apparently, that's what the Texas GOP is all about.  The idea that we need to censure elected officials because we don't like a bill that they voted for or against.  Or the idea that they're not conservative enough.  There was an effort underway at Convention to offer up censure of several different Republican office holders; one of which was John Cornyn.  Now, while I don't agree 100% with Senator Cornyn, do I think he needs to be censured?  NO.  In my opinion, censure is a dangerous habit to start.  Here's why, plain and simple; when do you stop?

Here's something else to think about; just like when Margaret Thatcher famously said, "The problem with Socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.", you could change it to read something like this, "The problem with censure is that you eventually run out of allies in the Republican/Conservative movement."  If you censure EVERY office holder and precinct chair or county chair, for that matter, you run out of people to actually work with.  Some will disagree with me and say that we need checks and balances.  To which I would AGREE.  Here's the 'but'; we already have checks and balances in the form of...ELECTIONS!

It's easy for all of us as activists to focus on the echo chambers of our lives, but unless you actually get out and knock some doors or do some phone banking to help elect Republicans, we'll never win, no matter who censured who.  And remember,  "If you can't sell freedom or liberty, you suck." 

They Didn't Let Us In At First, Either: Tea Party vs. GOP

Lots of times I write about my political involvement and my faith and draw parallels between the two.  Well, I'm feeling inspired again to do just that.  I like to get you thinking; share my inspiration with you and hope to get you motivated and involved in some way.

Last Sunday while I was sitting in church, the pastor was talking about how to be a fisher of men.  How to draw others to Jesus and lead them to salvation.  Pretty normal discussion to be had in church, I suppose.  While I was sitting there, however, it hit me that in some ways, those who are GOP or part of the conservative/tea party movement could also be considered evangelists of sorts, spreading the word of limited government and personal responsibility to the masses.

The title of the sermon was "How to Land a Fish".  We could title ours, "How to Land a Voter".  He gives us in step one the instructions, find a pond.  Find a pond?  What does that mean?  It means find a place to fish; not your usual circle of friends or Christians, but those who need desperately to hear the gospel.  Again, same thing with us; find someone who needs to hear the conservative message.

Step two was to develop patience and perseverance.  

The pastor was teaching from Mark 2:1-4.  Here it is for your reference:
"A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.  So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.  Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.  Since the could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on."

Picture it, a room so crowded with people that no one could get in.  People standing shoulder to shoulder and even though they turned and saw the four men carrying the paralytic on their shoulders, they didn't move a muscle.  Hold it right there.  Now, imagine the crowded room is full of establishment Republicans.  They're crowded in there like sardines and they're happy with their stagnant, stuffy ideals.  They love BIG government and the idea that government knows better than the average joe.  Hmph.

Then the tea party comes to the meeting.  Heh.  They've got a heavy load on their shoulders, too.  What is that heavy load, you say?  LIBERTY.  FREEDOM.  AMERICA.  The tea party looks inside and sees there isn't any room being made for them.  Do they give up?  Nope, and neither did the men who came to get Jesus to heal the paralytic.

So what did those men do?  They carried that heavy load, the paralyzed man up on the roof top and they started digging through.  Yeah, they did.  Then they lowered that man on his mat down in front of Jesus.  Right in front of Him.  "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

The tea party did something similar.  We weren't given an easy entrance to the party.  We may have tried to shove our way through the crowd, elbowed a few folks out of the way and began to make a difference.  Then with the heavy load of liberty and freedom on our shoulders, we climbed on the roof top.   That wasn't enough, though.  We started digging.  We started phone banking and block walking, we started running people for office, We elected conservatives to the Senate, Congress and to the state house.    We're not done yet, either.

Now, I realize that by all counts the moniker of 'tea party' is essentially done being used.  I still, however, count myself as a small part of what I look back on as the tea party movement or contingent of the GOP.  Did the tea party make a difference?  I'd like to think so.  Did the direction of the country go exactly the way we wanted?  No.  Does anything ever go according to plan?  No.  I know I'm personally willing to cut my losses and stay involved.  Others may disagree, but that's the freedom that we all share.  The freedom to continue to fight for principals and ideals, as well as the freedom to not.

The pastor also mentioned that fishing is dirty work.  I think we can all agree that the work of maintaining liberty and freedom is dirty work, too.  It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it.  Count me in, and I hope I can count you in, too! 

Dr. Hotze, You're Doing it Wrong

Alright, folks.  I've held my tongue as long as possible, but when you run across internet gold like this, sometimes you've just got to speak out.  Over the years since I started this blog, I've not been shy about my disdain for a few people that would call themselves 'party leaders'.  Those that run a 'conservative' PAC in the state of Texas that formed some time ago to enable those in charge there to continue to gate-keep from their high horses.  As one of my activist friends would say, "Name names."  Oh, don't you worry, that's coming.

Steven Hotze is well-known in Harris County for his contributions to the local political scene.  By that I mean that he runs a slate mailer with paid for endorsements by candidates seeking elected office; mostly state representatives and judges that are local to Harris County.  He also uses his place of position to lobby in support of traditional family values laws and potential laws that come across the desks of state legislators.  He opposes abortion, gay marriage and the bathroom bill which would allow people to use bathrooms and locker rooms of the sex with which they identify.  This has been and still is a hotly contested issue seeing as how it's been raised again in the Texas 85th special session coming up on July 18th.

I actually AGREE with Dr. Hotze on his traditional family values.  I'm pro-life and pro-traditional marriage.  I, too, am a Christian and feel called by the great commission in Matthew 28 where Jesus gives us the charge to, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."  There's just one glaring problem with Dr. Hotze's method; he's doing it wrong.

I'm not an avid reader of the Huffington Post by any means, but this article showed up in my news feed, and I just had to say something.  In the article, it quotes Dr. Hotze as saying in the name of Jesus, "...May they (legislators) be consumed, collapse, rot and be blown away as dust from their current positions because of their wicked works, thoughts and deeds. May people scorn them and nations abhor them. May their punishment lead them to repentance and faith in Christ. May God’s will be done in their lives."

I can't think of a worse prayer.  I do not agree with that at all.  If Dr. Hotze is truly about Christ and doing His work, he's doing it wrong.  This is an embarrassment to the name of Jesus and to Christians alike.  It's also an embarrassment to the GOP.  And we wonder why we can't win people over with our conservative principles and values.  To counter what Dr. Hotze is saying, I'm reminded of the scripture verse in 1Peter 4:8 which says, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins."  

Well, I guess there's just one thing left for me to say to Dr. Hotze, "Bless your heart."

The Texas GOP Does Not Need A Gatekeeper

Notice the title?  Gatekeeper as defined by Wikipedia is this:  "A gatekeeper is a person who controls access to something."   There are gatekeepers for all kinds of activities and clubs and even churches, for that matter, but since I'm involved in the political world, I'm thinking of the GOP.  I can think of a gatekeeper of the Republican party; actually I can think of a few of them.  Someone who thinks that the Republican party is an arm of the Baptist Church; where religiosity and exclusion meet.

You know the kind of person I'm talking about.  The kind of person who uses their Christianity and 'holier than thou' attitude as a weapon.  Who invokes the name of Jesus to instill fear in those who would oppose them.  Who ALWAYS paint their opponents as less than Christian or as not conservative enough.   Let me tell you something, I have a personal relationship with Jesus, and that's not the Jesus I know.

There's a saying that goes something like this, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words."  Funny, it doesn't say anything about shouting others down and shoving the Bible down people's throats.  As I've said, I'm a Christian, and that's not the Jesus I know.  The Jesus I know is about love and compassion and grace and mercy.  "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?"-Romans 2:4

This is MY blog and this is MY opinion.  So, take it or leave it.  However, it is my feeling that Jared Woodfill along with Steven Hotze are religious gatekeepers for the Republican party.  Or at least, they try to be.  They want to keep the 'riff-raff' from joining in the ranks of the Republican party, and I'm not even talking about elected officials.  I'm talking about activists, precinct chairs, you name it.  Anybody who doesn't agree with their opinion lock stock and barrel are sinners, and not to be included in the Republican
 process.

I've got news for you folks, we are ALL sinners, saved by grace, and while we're talking about sinners, let's remind ourselves who Jesus was often found in fellowship with.  Jesus didn't eat with the religious elite, remember? He didn't rub elbows with the Pharisees or with Pontius Pilate.   He ate with the sinners and tax collectors and the broken and the sick.   He was ALL inclusive.

Funny thing is that Jesus wasn't and still isn't about passing a purity test.  If you came with a desire to be changed, to accept his forgiveness and mercy and grace, you could and you still can.  If we elect Jared Woodfill as State Party Chair, there will be rules and purity tests for the activist who want to become involved.  Information will not be disseminated to all activists, but only to  a select 'worthy' few.  He will turn this party into a top down tool for his power the same way he treated the Harris County Republican Party.

No, the Texas GOP does not need a gatekeeper.  What it needs is a leader.