republican – Page 2 – Carol A. Spencer

Be happy!

While the results of the presidential election are still not determined, and the news media has called the race for Democrat Joe Biden, the news across the country for the GOP is excellent. Be happy!

While the results of the presidential election are still not determined, and the news media has called the race for Democrat Joe Biden, the news across the country for the GOP is excellent. Be happy!

Bastrop County GOP swept every contested race in the County. Every GOP candidate won here. Congrats to Mike Gepner on providing the leadership, and hands on work, that a county chairman should. Congrats to Mike and his team on building the network needed to take us forward as a growing county with a growing Republican Party.

Republicans are expected to gain 13 more seats in the US House of Representatives. Current totals are Dems: 215, GOP: 201, Not yet decided: 19. 218 are needed for a majority.

Republicans held all statehouse chambers. And, the GOP gained control of both the NH House and Senate. Redistricting happens after a census year, so in many states, including TX, FL and NC, GOP legislatures will be drawing the maps. Those three states represent more than 80 house seats.

Texans continue to be represented by two Republican US Senators: Senator Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, who handily won re-election. In our own Bastrop County, both Congressman Michael McCaul (CD-10) and Congressman Michael Cloud (CD-27) won re-election.

Let’s talk Texas:

All statewide positions stayed with the GOP.
Nearly all judicial positions remained in GOP hands.
The Texas House continues with a GOP majority: the same split as it had in the 2019 session (83 GOP to 67 Dems).
The Texas Senate continues with a GOP majority. We lost the super majority by one seat, but kept the split nearly what it was in the 2019 session. (19 GOP to 12 Dems in 2019; now 18 GOP to 13 Dems)
Overall, Texas did not lose one GOP Congressional seat and is poised to pick up two, or possibly three, additional seats due to the census. With both the Texas House and Senate firmly in GOP hands, and a Republican governor, the redistricting map, including those two new Congressional districts, will be drawn by the GOP.

There is much to celebrate for the GOP both in Texas and nationwide. Be happy!

Put the blame where it belongs… on Democrats

Since 1945 when Hubert Humphrey became mayor of Minneapolis, for only 2 years and one day have Republicans led the city. Independents led the city for another 6 years.

Since 1945, seventy-five years, Democrats have controlled Minneapolis with the exception of a total of 8 years and one day.

Yet, today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blamed the death of George Floyd on Republicans.

“On Tuesday, as Senate Democrats rejected Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-S.C.) police reform bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) accused Republicans of ‘trying to get away with murder, the murder of George Floyd.'” (pjmedia.com)

Just let that sit for a minute. Almost 70 years of Democrat mayors and Pelosi blames Republicans.

Who appointed police chiefs throughout those 65+ years? Democrats
Who approved the size and organizational structure of the police department throughout those 65+ years? Democrats
Who approved police “standard operating procedures” (SOPs) throughout those 65+ years? Democrats
Who hired police officers throughout those 65+ years? Democrats
Who interviewed police officers for advancement and promotion throughout those 65+ years? Democrats
Who supervised police training throughout those 65+ years? Democrats
Who disciplined police officers throughout those 65+ years? Democrats
Who reviewed their personnel jackets when determining who was eligible for promotion? Democrats
Who negotiated police contracts? Democrats

The Federal government does not appoint mayors or council members. Local voters elect them. The Federal government does not hire police chiefs, dictate SOPs, hire or fire police officers, determine the use of community policing, number of officers on the road at any point in time, or any other aspect of the organization and policies of police departments. Local elected officials and their administrative hires do.

In Minneapolis, Democrats did. Now, Democrat Pelosi tries to shift the blame. Democrat Pelosi says the proposed Federal legislation doesn’t go far enough, even though the Federal government has no role here.

Democrats have created these problems through feckless leadership over 65+ years. Democrats are the problem today, watching their city burn and doing nothing. Democrats in Washington continue to be the problem today, now blocking Federal legislation.

Hold Democrats accountable because they are.

Stat source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mayors_of_Minneapolis.

What’s the Score?

The score is 14 – 7. We’re losing.

I’m not talking about football. I’m talking about social media and digital communication. The Bastrop County Democrat Party in December (so far) has posted twice as much as the Bastrop County Republican Party. And, they’re on both Instagram and Twitter.

Social media is the preferred communication method for all age groups. Entities must be in these spaces to connect with the public.

The Republican Party website is out of date. The Election Information page showed Nov 4 ballot info as recently as Saturday, December 7. The cutoff date for filing to run for office was December 9. Until mid-day December 8, not one word was on the website about how to do so.

Silence about the new precinct created in Bastrop County last month even though it affects more than 2,000 voters. Nothing about how to register to vote, yet that’s the top priority for TexasGOP. And, the news page’s last article is from June 2, 2018! Its subject? A joint event with the Democrats.

Twitter? The last tweet from the Bastrop County Republican Party was April 25. The Democrats? December 3.

Instagram? (70% of 18 – 29 year olds use Instagram)
The Republican Party doesn’t even have an account. The Democrats last post? November 25.

YouTube? (90% of 18 – 49 year olds use YouTube)
The Republican Party doesn’t even have an account.

“You’re a digital communications expert and a precinct chair. Why don’t you volunteer to fix this,” you might ask. I have. The chair refused my offer. It’s one thing to lose a football game because of poor communication. It’s quite another to lose elections for that reason.

I was here before you came. I’ll be here when you leave.

In the late ’90s, I served as mayor of a town of 16,000 people. One day, as I sat in my office with an employee discussing her lackluster job performance, she looked at me and said “Mayor, I was here before you came. I’ll be here when you leave.” And, she was.

Her comment was in defense of not wanting to participate in automating work in her office. You know, the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality. But, it was a philosophy that was pervasive in local government among union employees who could not be fired except for “cause” (basically, provably, breaking the law).

People don’t like change. And, for government employees, every four years can bring a new chief executive with his/her own campaign promises, philosophies of governance and management, and policy implementation. If they wait long enough, that elected leader will be out of office.

Nothing compels employees to support and implement the policies of a new leader. I was undermined by employees who were loyal to former mayors. I was undermined by employees who were loyal to my political opponents. How? Submit required paperwork without signatures. Send legal documents to the wrong address so they don’t arrive where they need to be by their due date. Promise others funding that I specifically earmarked for a totally different project, leaving that project without funding. Cancel contracts without asking me first, contracts that could not be reinstated. Commit to tentative agreements, agreements I had clearly stated I would not approve. And, I could go on.

It is through that lens that I watch the impeachment hearings. It is through that lens that I am suspect of those testifying. It is through that lens that there isn’t one iota of doubt in my mind that there is a swamp, bureaucrats actively working to destroy the Trump presidency. It is through that lens that I believe the Democrats, and some Republicans, are working hard to keep the status quo that made some of them and their friends rich. It is through that lens that I support the President, believe there was no quid pro quo, and trust that Trump is doing the right thing by investigating the swamp dwellers.

Facebook is at it again.

Imagine my surprise when I found a warning in my FB timeline about a “photo” a friend had shared. I can’t think of anything, EVER, that has been shared with me that had “violent or graphic content”.

Read the POST below (though it was put up as a graphic file format). Just what exactly about it is “violent or graphic content”? NOTHING. It applies to anyone moving anywhere because they like what they saw, and then when they get there, trying to change the new location so it mimics where they came from. That’s reality whether it’s from city to city, state to state, or country to country.

Facebook strikes again.

We don’t want a CAVE. We want a WALL.

This morning, I wrote my congressman and the White House. You should too. Here are the web addresses and what I wrote:

The White House
Congressman Michael Cloud (CD-27)
Congressman Michael McCaul (CD-10)

To Congressman Michael Cloud:
Trump can’t cave on this. YOU can’t cave on this. DO NOT vote for a CR that doesn’t include at least 1/2 of what Trump needs for the “wall”. Any rational person knows the “wall” includes technological efforts as well as a physical wall where possible. Any rational person knows Mexico was never going to outright pay for the wall, but the reduction in immigration costs for those coming in through that country would pay for it, an improvement in balance of trade would pay for it…. Republican messaging is horrible and never says that. But, we NEED the wall. TRUMP needs the wall or he’ll lose his base. He’ll be likened to GWB about whom many only remember “Read my lips…” and then HE caved. We voted for Trump to clean that swamp, to do what he says he’ll do, and for you to back him up. I’ll support him, and you, as vociferously as possible if he does what he said he would do. Those of us with children know the most important thing we can do is to MEAN WHAT WE SAY, to DO what we said we would do. TRUST falls if that doesn’t happen. Pelosi and Schumer will run the show from now to 2020 if Trump and the House cave on this. Thank you, and Merry Christmas to all of you.

To President Trump via The White House:
We DO NOT WANT A CAVE. We WANT A WALL. Messaging is critical. Of course a wall isn’t always a physical wall but also a technological wall. Of course Mexico isn’t going to pay outright dollars but through lower costs of illegals entering the US and in balance of trade. Republican messaging stinks, but the FACT is that we need the wall. We need you to STAND STRONG. We voted for you to get something different, your business acumen. Please don’t be GWB who is remembered for “Read my lips…” and then caving. Please!!!

Leave ALL signs alone. Don’t trespass. Don’t steal.

A few days ago, some Democrat signs in Tahitian Village were apparently destroyed by someone driving through the neighborhood. This prompted a post on the Republican Party’s Facebook page condemning the action and forcefully stating that when the perpetrators are found, they’ll be turned over to the authorities. Because the signs were on Democrat properties, the Bastrop County Young Republicans went so far as to blame the Alt-Right for this wrong-doing.

It’s interesting to me that these two Republican organizations have been silent in the face of trespass and sign theft of Republican signs. Not a peep out of either organization as Cruz signs have been stolen from private property in more than a few cases. Perhaps they didn’t know, you say. Well, maybe, but that’s really hard to believe in the face of property owner reactions, some like the one at left.

It is inappropriate to point fingers at anyone, call out any group without proof, laser focus on only one instance of this type of behavior when it’s happening across the county to all sides.

No one should trespass on private property to remove or destroy anything, including political signs. It doesn’t matter what candidate from what party a person is supporting, they have a right to display signs supporting that individual or party. TXDOT regulations require signs to be on private property so anyone taking or damaging a sign is violating trespass and destruction of personal property laws.