BRCEC – Carol A. Spencer

Political Activism or Community Activism

The current CD 27 Special Election is critical! Republicans need a 50%+1 win on June 30 to avoid a September runoff that will be costly to Texas voters, costly to our candidate, and potentially costly to the balance of the House of Representatives if not won by a Republican.

Political strategists would expect the Bastrop Republican County Executive Committee (BRCEC) as a whole to be working hard to get out the Republican vote for this election. Sadly, that’s not the case.

Community organizing is apparently more important. The Republican chair has asked for volunteers for an Elgin community event all day on Saturday, June 23, exactly one week before Election Day.

Elgin is not part of CD 27. In fact, Elgin sits at the most northwestern tip of Bastrop County, far away from CD 27. It’s in Congressional District 10, Mike McCaul’s district.

But getting known in the community is important, you say. Yes, it is. But when the balance of the U.S. House of Representatives is at stake, political activism trumps community activism every time.

For those in my precinct, look for this postcard in your mail this week. It has information about the Special Election, how to contact me, and where to find Bastrop County Republican information online. Even if you’re not in my precinct, but are in CD 27, please share with your friends, and be sure to early vote or vote on June 30!

Intro Postcard - Front with contact information

Diverting Resources Loses Elections

The most qualified candidate for a position can easily lose an election by running a poorly planned campaign, by losing focus, or by letting the opposition distract or divert attention to things that don’t matter to the outcome of the race.

A perfect example of this is happening right now in Bastrop County.

Bastrop Democrats

Early voting for a critical special election starts in just a few days, but the Republican chair-elect has spent her time over the past few weeks with the Democrats, planning a joint fundraiser for a local civic group. On May 19, while the Republican Chair-elect was at a CEC meeting convincing Republicans to do a joint fundraiser with the Democrats, Democrats were on the bridge in Bastrop publicly supporting their candidates.
While support for local organizations is a worthy endeavor, the number one priority of a political organization is to win elections, and winning takes time and money.

It’s sad, but apparent, that the possibility of giving the Democrats two opportunities in two months to defeat our Republican candidate doesn’t matter to Bastrop Republican leadership. They’d rather fraternize with the Democrats than defeat them.

With such a short window before early voting in the CD27 Special Election, this wasn’t the time to divert Republican resources away from Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts. We’ve yet to see any Bastrop County Republican Party emails or postal mails regarding the June 30 Special Election, the impact of this special election on the November general election, or the candidates involved.

I am fully supportive of raising money and awareness for local civic groups. A cursory review of my bio shows a long history of civic engagement. But right now, Republicans should be laser focused on GOTV efforts to win the CD27 Special Election with more than 50% of the vote.

If our primary winner, Michael Cloud, doesn’t get over 50% of the vote and is forced into a September runoff, it gives CD27 Democrats two chances to defeat him in a two month time span. It’s sad, but apparent, that the possibility of giving the Democrats two opportunities in two months to defeat our Republican candidate doesn’t matter to Bastrop Republican leadership. They’d rather fraternize with the Democrats than defeat them.

Practice What You Preach

Are you aware that the Bastrop County Young Republicans (BCYR) Facebook page has blocked any person or group that posts something with which BCYR President Jarrett Namken disagrees?

There is no such thing as “open discussion, substantive debate” on the Young Republican’s Facebook page.

That’s what makes his May 29 post below so stunning, so disingenuous. Namken does not practice what he preaches. There is no such thing as “open discussion, substantive debate” on the BCYR Facebook page. Be aware of that if you read its content.

I’ve been blocked. Those who questioned why I was blocked have themselves been blocked. The president of the Bastrop County Tea Party has been blocked. Various Republican candidates and elected precinct chairs have been blocked. The list goes on and on.

Namken claims blocking all these Republican leaders was necessary to bring civility to the discussion. These two uncivil posts got Russ Tepper blocked.

And, what about this comment isn’t civil? It got Simone blocked.

Beware!! Blocking opponents on Facebook is not the practice of Republicans. But silencing those who disagree is standard operating procedure for tyrannical dictators.

What a shame that any person or group has so little confidence in their own ideas that they feel it necessary to control page content so their readers hear only one side of every story. Beware, for blocking opponents on Facebook is not the practice of Republicans. But silencing those who disagree is standard operating procedure for tyrannical dictators.