Texas-style liberty cannot survive if its leaders are driven by pragmatism, which divorced from principles, drives one’s decisions to be based on political expediency (AKA raw fear of losing the next political race).
The media and a myriad of political voices – on both the left and the right – proclaim conservatism on its last legs – if not completely dead in Texas. This prognosis fits their self-focused, self-justifying narratives, which declare our demise – based solely on the results of one mid-term election.
We got their memo; promptly filed it our circular file.
But, since some folks appear to be going all wobbly, we’re reaffirming our principle-based legislative priorities for the current Texas Legislative Session.
Most of these priorities are ones we’ve talked about EVERY legislative session for the past FIVE sessions (you know, back when Republicans had a super majority in the House and a larger majority in the Senate?).
Truth be told, Republicans have had trifecta rule down at the Capitol since 2003. We suggest they stop listening to consultants and listen to the people who hired them at the ballot box…before they go the way of the Dodo bird and are consulted into extinction.
Why We May Not Endorse or Recommend a Candidate in Every Race
The Board of Directors of Grassroots America – We the People sets a very high standard for granting endorsements. Endorsement of a candidate is a serious matter. We don’t make endorsements in order to participate in a popularity contest. We don’t make endorsements based on appeasing interested groups. We thoroughly and intensely vet candidates by checking into their stated qualifications, credentials, training, experience, voting and work records. We hold candidate forums and debates, attend forums held by other organizations, review candidate web sites, questionnaires, Facebook and Twitter postings.
We seek to determine the character, core values, temperament, judgment, management style, and practical vision of the candidates.
We reserve the right NOT to endorse anyone in a particular race if the choices all fail to meet a high standard. We won’t lower our standards to simply check a box.
In the 2018 General Election, for the Commissioner of the General Land Office and Commissioner of Agriculture races, the “on the job” records of the Republican incumbents in these two offices did not meet our endorsement standards for rehire at the ballot box. We did not endorse them in the Primary or the Midterm, based on job performance, state audits, etc. The Democrat and non-party choices also did not meet our standard.
In the judicial races for Texas Supreme Court, Place 6; Presiding Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals; and Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7, none of the judicial candidates met our standards.
Again, we reserve the right NOT to endorse anyone in a particular race if the choices all fail to meet a high standard. We won’t lower our standards to simply check a box. There are plenty of mere box checkers, and that is not who Grassroots America is.
Every voter has an opportunity to decide for themselves to vote in each race or skip some. This is the very essence of personal responsibility.
America – and Texas – are at a crossroads. It is YOUR time for choosing…
Strong civility, respect for the rule of law or The ANGRY MOB Innocent until proven guilty or Conviction by Accusation Protect human life or Support Planned Parenthood Ban & punish sanctuary cities or Continue dangerous lawlessness Religious freedom or Anti-Christian bigotry Economic freedom or Over-regulating big government More tax cuts or Punishing tax hikes promised by Democrats Border security/America first or Wide-open borders/cheap labor Second Amendment gun rights or Disarming legal gun owners Back President Trump or Help unhinged Democrats impeach him
Grassroots America has endorsed all Republicans EXCEPT the poorest job performance incumbents. If they could not earn our endorsement or recommendation in the Primary, they do not qualify now. We won’t change our standards. We don’t believe in using “elastic” definitions. We reserve the right to protect our hard-earned credibility by simply not endorsing in some races. This is WHY Primary Elections are so important. Voters have a chance to remove bad performers then. Now, each voter must decide for themselves, but our “home” Smith County voter guide can be found here.
Smith County Early Voting Dates & Times Monday – Friday: 10/22 – 10/26/2018 from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Saturday: 10/27/2018 from 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM Sunday: 10/28/2018 from 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM Monday – Friday: 10/29 – 11/02/2018 from 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Vote at any of these Smith County Early Voting Locations The HUB: 304 E Ferguson St., Tyler Heritage Building: 1900 Bellwood Rd., Tyler Lindale Public Library: 200 E Hubbard St., Lindale Noonday Community Center: 16662 CR 196 (behind Blue Store Hwy 155) Whitehouse Municipal Court: 311 E Main St., Whitehouse
If you wake up to bad outcomes for the November General Election, and you complain to Grassroots America, and we don’t see your name on the voter list, guess how much your complaint registers? Not. One. Teeny. Bit.
Be responsible. Honor our Founders. Honor our Veterans. Fight for Texas & our Nation! Vote!
On September 12th, we sent you a Call to Action email outlining efforts by Rep. Biedermann and other elected officials to stop Land Commissioner George P. Bush’s plan to re-imagine the Alamo and move the Cenotaph to a so called “Free Speech Zone,” leaving this sacred memorial unprotected from vandalism and destruction.
Today, those same elected officials stood on the hallowed grounds of the Alamo, in front of the Cenotaph, to hold a press conference. They called on Commissioner Bush to stop his unilateral actions and bring the future of the Alamo to the Texas Legislature during the upcoming 86th Session. We agree with Rep. Biedermann that the legislature is the proper place for the future of the most sacred shrine in Texas history to be debated. The Cradle of Texas Independence must be forever protected for generations of freedom-loving Texans and for those who seek to know our history. We do not want the Alamo’s history to be destroyed by multi-cultural quests for political correctness.
We appreciate the feedback you have given us concerning your calls and emails to the General Land Office. It is breathtaking the lengths they will go to try to fool the people.
State Rep. Biedermann Says ‘No’ To Long Term Lease With City of San Antonio for Alamo Property San Antonio, TX (09/14/18) — Representative Kyle Biedermann (R- Fredericksburg) stood in the shadow of The Alamo on Friday morning to urge officials to include Texas Legislature in the negotiations going forward on The Alamo Master Plan.
The current Alamo Plan will move the Cenotaph into the ‘Free Speech Area’ where it cannot be protected and will be open to protest and disrespect. Even more startling, the Plan would include a long term lease agreement with the City of San Antonio giving the city the ‘ability to monitor compliance’ and the requirement in that lease that the GLO must prioritize ‘the World Heritage Site nomination and designation’ of United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
State Representative Kyle Biedermann said, “I believe it is imperative for Commissioner Bush to include the Texas Legislature in the process going forward with respect to the Alamo Master Plan in order to ensure Texas sovereignty over the future of the Alamo. Much concern has been voiced by legislators about moving the Cenotaph and the long term lease agreement with the City of San Antonio giving them the ‘ability to monitor compliance’ and the requirement in that lease that the GLO must prioritize ‘the World Heritage Site nomination and designation’ of UNESCO. As Texans, we should not allow an international body to impose on our most sacred of sites. Texas has a proud independent history and we must never allow international actors to revise or sanitize our history.
Texas State Senator Donna Campbell said. “Thousands of Texans have contacted my office expressing their feedback over the new Alamo Master Plan. Chief among these concerns is the overwhelming desire to see the Spirit of Sacrifice, also known as the Alamo Cenotaph, restored and preserved in its current location. The Alamo is one of our state’s greatest treasures and to this day it still represents the origins of what it means to be a Texan. It belongs to all of us, and it unites all of us. In putting together the Alamo Master Plan, public input was sought and the majority of that input has asked for special consideration to be given to the Cenotaph and that it not be relocated.”
Former Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said, “Ignoring key elements of public input erodes public confidence. Entering into an agreement that could diminish State of Texas control over the Alamo destroys public confidence.”
‘El Conservador’ conservative blogger and writer George Rodriguez said. “I stand here supporting Rep. Biedermann because I feel he is the last ‘wall’ to save the Alamo property from a lease that may allow changes to the site and even history of the Alamo. We must understand that this is a shrine of Texas history and it should be treated with care and reverence. We cannot and must not rush into any agreements with anyone unless they are carefully studied and reviewed.”
The following message is from Aaron Harris, Executive Director, Direct Action Texas:
On August 16th, Direct Action Texas and Grassroots America held a joint press conference in which we announced a Texas Conservative Grassroots Coalition letter to Gov. Abbott asking him to direct the Secretary of State to begin verifying the citizenship of registered voters in Texas.
We asked the Governor to do this because 1) the Texas Secretary of State is appointed by the Governor, 2) the Governor has the constitutional executive authority to mandate citizenship verification of registered voters, and 3) Governor Abbott has strongly supported Coalition efforts to pass election integrity and ballot security reforms. In fact, upon signing Senate Bill 5 (increased penalties for people who commit election crimes related to mail-in ballots), Governor Abbott issued a statement declaring, “It is a primary function of government to protect citizens’ right to vote, and I will not allow the integrity of the ballot box to be compromised in Texas.”
In the press conference, I released figures that have understandably garnered quite a bit of attention and caused heartburn for some government officials. Many questions are circling; I’m going to address several of those now. Some will be better answered at a future time and place, after we’ve completed necessary follow-up work.
We can agree that government suffers from a disease of inaction. Even with the best of intentions, important projects simply die in government, especially those that are political hot potatoes – like election integrity. This is simply a political reality.
For nearly a year, the Texas Attorney General has had information about the problems with Texas’ voter rolls, and this project has simply stalled. In January, in discussions with multiple senior level staffers in the AG’s office, I predicted they would get nowhere by mid-year in 2018 and promised that – if they did nothing – I would go public in July or August. As I had originally feared, the project has stalled. Last week I followed through on my promise to release the information.
It is important for us to remember that we aren’t talking about stalling on a minor issue. Since my discussions with high level Texas AG staffers about non-citizens being registered to vote in Texas, the March 2018 Primary Election happened. The May 22 Primary runoff election happened, and the May 2018 local municipal, school board, and bond elections took place, not to mention other local runoffs and special elections. Now, in just a few months, we’ll have the November 2018 General Election. How does this not rise to the level of a priority as election after election goes by?
In 2017, government analysts compared Texas’ voter rolls against the Department of Public Safety (DPS) database. Most Texans don’t realize the Secretary of State (SoS) checks the DPS database every time they register a voter. This is done in accordance with federal statute.
They verify the applicant’s name, address, and date of birth. DPS has citizenship information, but the SoS does NOT verify that status, even though it is illegal for non-citizens to vote!
In checking the voter rolls against the DPS citizenship status, the analysts found 280,000 registered voters who – at the time they were issued a DPS ID – were not citizens. Again, non-citizens are illegible to register and to vote.
Some of these were registered to vote when they got their ID (motor voter), and some were registered to vote at a later date. Some of these likely became naturalized citizens since they obtained their DPS ID, but surely not all of them. The fact is – we simply do not know.
Texans deserve to know.
There are over 21.5 million DPS-issued IDs in Texas. There are 14 million registered voters.Of the 14 million registered voters, more than 4 million of them do not match up to anyone in DPS’s database or other databases available to the analysts.
