How to Permanently Fund The Texas GOP

Robert West | July 26, 2023

“May you live in interesting times.” -Ancient Chinese Curse

Much of the conservative and county GOPs in Texas are now dependent upon career politicians for their funding. The Young Republicans and TFRW in particular get enough money to explain why they support certain politicians no matter how far from conservative ideals these officials stray. Tarrant County GOP leadership said the quiet part out loud. They would never support formal criticism of the elected because their funding would dry up.

We live in a time where the party is reliant and controlled by the elected instead of the other way around. To add insult to injury, the elected are finding candidates to run for party positions, hiring current party officials and attempting to pass laws controlling how and what the party can and cannot do.

What I am about to write is not going to be popular with the elected or the state GOP; they have both grown increasingly hostile to the truth.

GOP is a Private Organization

The GOP is a PRIVATE organization. It is not funded, owned nor run by the state government of Texas and keeping with the right of “freedom of association” almost every law governing its actions from being forced to accept candidates to holding open elections is UNCONSTITUTIONAL and thus, illegal.

The state of Texas can no more demand we accept every candidate that applies than they can force your church to accept every candidate for deacon that applies. They can no more force our Precinct Chairs and State Chair to resign from this private organization in order to run for office than they can force the leadership of your church or the Chamber of Commerce to do so without violating their freedom of association.

My Proposal for Precinct Convention

What I propose is that every conservative in Texas attend the next Precinct Convention after the polls close in March. There, where they have the majority, vote to send people to the County Convention that have never attended a County Convention before and furthermore put forward five resolutions.

1. The GOP is not a part of state government and will challenge every rule and law governing how we are to operate as a political party which has successfully been challenged in federal court by other state political organizations.
2. That the GOP will hold closed primaries so that Democratic voters can no longer help choose who we nominate in OUR primaries.
3. Candidates can be refused the PRIVILEGE of running under the Republican brand by a 2/3rds vote of the Precinct Chairs of their district.
4. Candidates that are approved to run under the Republican brand agree to donate 5% of all campaign contributions to the Texas State GOP.
5. That our primary selection process will use hand-counted, paper ballots in keeping with the proposed legislation put forward by Bob Hall in 2023.

Proposal Resolution Explanations

The first resolution removes the illusion that the elected write the rules and are in any way in charge of our private, political organization.

The second gives us the closed primaries that most conservative voters want.

The third provides a way to eliminate RINOs based on voting record or political history without denying them the right to run for office. They can still run as a Democrat, as independent or whatever other political party will accept them.

The fourth generates about $15 million dollars based on 2022 numbers when over $300 million was donated to political candidates. This would fully fund our state, district and county conventions and leave several million left over to help in tight races across the state.

Once the people representing the voting precincts arrive at the county convention make sure you send only people that have never attended before to the state convention. Make sure your resolutions are adopted at the county convention and sent to the state convention.

Once you are at the state convention, only elect people from your group to the State Republican Executive Committee. Recently, Texas Scorecard took a poll where over 98% of Republicans said they would vote to censure Dade Phelan. Why is our current SREC only representing the less than 2% that disagrees?

These are simply, direct solutions to a number of issues and removes the control the elected increasingly have on our party.

The Objections to These Proposals and Moving Forward

The objections to these proposals are that the GOP would be sued by the state and that we would go bankrupt in court and be unable to function as a party. Who are these elected Republicans that would sue the GOP and thus end their careers? As stated, only laws that other state GOPs have won would be challenged so how many minutes in front of a federal judge would each take? How many donors would step forward to cover the court costs and how many attorneys would offer their services for free would step forward?

How can any of these proposals not shift more power to the elected position that is closest to the elected, the precinct chair? How can any of these solutions not improve accountability and force the office holders that get in on the REPUBLICAN ticket to dance with who brung em?

Precinct Chairs and every day voters should start informing people now about the importance of going to precinct conventions after the polls. This is crucial for our state and nation. Start this conversation now, the details for these conventions by law are posted at each polling location. Bringing even a dozen people can put you in the majority across Texas. You need not have a membership card or hold an office in the party. This is the one time your voice is as powerful as anyone else in the room when it comes to changing things for the better, 90% of the issue is settled by just showing up.

Let us do whatever we need in order to move forward to a less interesting time. A time when we are the public, the elected are public SERVANTS and we start rewarding them for solving problems and following our orders instead of padding their resumes, bank accounts and egos.

Robert West

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