Harris County Republican Party Run-Off Analysis & Endorsements

I am writing today as the newly elected Harris County Republican Precinct Chair 0682. I want to thank everyone who supported and voted for me in the March 2, 2010 Election. We now have much work to do to ensure that “true conservative” values are on the ballot for November. The first way we can do this is by voting in the upcoming Run-off Election being held on April 13, 2010. Early Voting begins on April 5, 2010 and ends on April 9, 2010. It is very important to go out to vote in this Run-off Election.

I also want to call to your attention to a publication called The Link Letter. The Link Letter is a publication who endorses candidates in the Primary Elections, however there is one thing you as a voter need to understand about The Link Letter, it is a paid for endorsement publication, and is edited by Terry Lowry the host of the "What's Up Radio Program". What this means is that The Link Letter sells campaign advertising in exchange for an endorsement, you can also read more about this issue at Big Jolly Politics where you will find great analysis and detail regarding this situation. There are other publications in Harris County that do the same such as Conservative Republicans of Harris County by Dr. Steven F. Hotze, but the most noted is The Link Letter. So beware that when you use these publications in the voting booth you are supporting this type behavior.

It is my opinion that the best way to ensure you are voting for the best candidate is to do your own research and rely on your Precinct Chair to give their opinion as to who the best candidates are. Your Precinct Chair in most cases will have already performed the research about each candidate and should be able to provide you with answers about candidates. I myself have promised to educate the voters of Precinct 0682 and I am certainly living up to that promise. I have performed the research and will be provided my analysis and endorsements in this blog posting as well as I have sent out letters to voice my opinion. The remainder of this blog posting will focus on the analysis and endorsements of each candidate for the Run-off Election on April 13, 2010.

Analysis & Endorsements:

Justice Supreme Court Place 3 - This race is simply a race of experience versus non-experience. If you look at the pure qualifications of the two candidates that will sit on the highest court in Texas you will find that one stands-out above the other. Rick Green is currently a motivational speaker and former Texas State Representative, he does not have any Judicial or Courtroom Experience, he claims to be an author but I am not able to find any publications with his name associated, he is being endorsed by only one former Supreme Court Justice, his Judicial Philosophy is unknown, and the biggest question mark for me is that he has multiple ethics complaints. I am not even sure if Rick Green is practicing law at this time, as search on the State Bar of Texas website produced one Ricky Green, but it says this Rick Green graduate with a law degree from SMU, but candidate Rick Green graducated from UT law school according to his website. In a nutshell Rick Green is not qualified to run for Supreme Court of Texas. Judge Debra Lehrmann on the other hand is extremely qualified, she is currently a District Judge with 22 years of Juidical experience and is a former prosecutor and courtroom attorney, she is an award winning author of legal books and treatises. Judge Lehrmann is endorsed by 5 former Supreme Court Justices including former Chief Justice Tom Philips, she has also proven herself as a conservative judge who is a strict constructionist and never legislates from the bench. She has no ethical complaints and has an exceptional appellate record. You can clearly see the clear choice here is Judge Debra Lehrmann.

District Judge 180th District Court - Again this race is simply experience vs. non-experience. Danny Dexter is relying on pay for play endorsements to ensure he gets elected. He has contributed to The Link Letter, and other publications for an endorsement in their publication. You can easily see this behavior by researching the Texas Ethics Commission website to view the Campaign Finance Reports to see the contributions and then you will see the endorsements within the publications. Mr. Dexter has not had a case in 6 years. Mr. Dexter talks about his record at the DA's office but when you really analyze the data he is mis-representing his successes. Do you really want someone who has not practiced in 6 years the next judge of this court?? Big question mark for me. On the other hand Marc Brown has been at the DA's office for 22 years and was hired by Johnny Holmes. Marc has received many awards and assigned to many very important and high profile cases over the last 22 years. He currently has been appointed by DA Pat Lykos to oversee Prosecutors in the Grand Jury Division. As you can see the clear choice is Marc Brown.

Family District Judge 308th - In this race the experience level is roughly the same, and both candidates are qualified to perform the job, however for me I am endorsing the candidate who has ran the cleanest race and who has not had to go out and pay for endorsements to win this race. My opinion is that if you have to pay to get and endorsement then what are you hiding that you need these endorsements to get elected. The two candidates who are running in this race are Alice J. O'Neill and James Lombardino. As I said my endorsement is going to the person who has run the cleanest race, and that would be Judge Alice J. O'Neill. If a candidate for judge runs a clean race they would point out clear facts about their opponent, however there have been some false accusations thrown out about Judge O'Neill, therefore if a candidate for judge is not stating facts will they really sit on the bench and judge a case based on facts. This is a huge question for me, in any situation facts are the key to the truth. Therefore, I respect Judge O'Neill for sticking to the facts and making the facts known in this race. Vote Judge Alice J. O'Neill in this race.

Harris County Republican Party Chairman - This race is simply a race for Leadership. The current Party Chairman Jared Woodfill has not provided the kind of Leadership we need in the Harris County Republican Party. Over the last 8 years Mr. Woodfill has allowed our Republican base dwindle which has resulted in huge losses to Democrats in the last 8 years. He has all but admitted this by appointed a new team to lead an effort in 2010 to put a plan together to stop the bleeding in the November elections. Over the last few months we have seen Mr. Woodfill react to situations that he would not have normally reacted to in the past, but it is an election year and he is in a tough run-off with Ed Hubbard. Ed Hubbard on the other hand has a true plan and leadership to take the party to the next level. Mr. Hubbard's plan can be found on his website click here and is ready for implementation. Mr. Hubbard doesn't need a special team to help candidates get elected in November, he understands that the team was there the whole time, and that is the Precinct Chairs. Mr. Hubbard understands the value of the Precinct Chairs and how important they are in getting candidates elected to office. As a result of this understanding of Leadership and he is the only candidate with a true plan for the future, I support and endorse Ed Hubbard for Harris County Republican Party Chair.

I hope this analysis adds value to your choice when you get out to vote. Just remember we want the best and "true conservatives" to win in November. Feel free to email me at ead1125@sbcglobal.net or call me at 832-969-3047.

Eric Dumatrait, Newly Elected Precinct Chair 0682

District Court Judicial Candidate Analysis & Endorsements

As I have stated in my previous postings about electing true conservatives who are qualified, it is important that we do not forget that we have a Judicial Ballot in Harris County in the upcoming March 2, 2010.


So you ask why is it important that we pay attention to the Judicial or down ballot as it is referred to? The simple answer is that the decisions a Judge makes on a daily basis affects our lives more than any other decisions in our government. Therefore, it is extremely important that we pay just as much attention if not more to these races as we do the Governor's race. We have many different choices on the Republican Ballot in several races, but we need to be careful that we do not elect a candidate who is not qualified and who is not a true conservative. The remainder of this blog posting will discuss each race and reveal my endorsement for each race. You can also find responses to some of these candidates at Big Jolly Politics.

I am going to start off with the Family District Court races, the family court system is one that I am affected by and currently fighting a battle in a different county. I understand what it is like to have a judge who does not hear the facts in the case, and stays with the status quo. Can you guess what party this judge belongs??

Family District Court 308 - This race is jam packed with four candidates and two candidates stand out for me at this time, Rick Ramos and James Lombardino. I think both of these guys are great candidates for this Family Court, however the one thing that sticks out for me is that Rick has worked as a law clerk in this same court, and has a great plan on running the courtroom and docket to make cases heard more efficient. This truly will cut taxpayers money, being proactive is the key. As a result of his passion for this court and families along with the proactive manner he is approaching his duties, my endorsement for this race will be Rick Ramos.

Family District Court 309 - This race is also jam packed with four candidates, however this race was very easy for me to make an endorsement. It basically comes down to how much experience and conservative principles the candidates have. Sheri Y. Dean has devoted much of her life to family law, and is a life long conservative. Sheri is the right person for the job.

Family District Court 310 - There is one clear choice in this race, she has also devoted much of her life to family law, and is one of the best sitting judges in the family court system. Based on HBA 2009 Judicial ratings Judge Lisa Millard rated an overall 83% rating as acceptable and outstanding. Judge Millard is the clear choice and I endorse her for this race.

Family District Court 311 - This race is another jam packed race with five candidates, however the two individuals that stick out for me are Donna Detamore and Anthony Magdaleno. However, Mrs. Detamore in my opinion has a few qualifications more than the other candidates, and she is one of two candidates who is board certified. I endorse Donna Detamore.

Juvenile District Court 313 - In this race the research I have found is that Fred Wilson seems to be very qualified and is committed to changing the lives of young people that will eventually make in impact in society. His proactive approach is something we need in all judges. I endorse Fred Wilson.

Now I will move on to the Criminal and Civil District Court races.

Criminal District Court 180 - This race has three candidates running, however only one stands out to me as the best qualified with strong conservative values. Emily Munoz has dedicated her career to criminal justice in various areas. If you read her qualifications on Big Jolly Politics and visit her website you will find she is the only candidate in the race with an all around background and qualifications along with being the only candidate who is board certified.

Civil District Court 280 - I think this was the easiest race to pick. The clear endorsement goes to Lynn Bradshaw-Hull. Mrs. Bradshaw-Hull is a former Judge, and was victim to the straight ticket ballot last year during the Obama run. Mrs. Bradshaw-Hull is clearly the most qualified and is the only true conservative in her race. In Mrs. Bradshaw-Hull's own words from her website "I have presided fairly in the disposition of more than 60,000 cases, including over 500 jury trials" I think that alone makes her very qualified for this position.

As you can see much research has been completed to offer a fair opinion in these races, however no matter who wins in these races we will need to rally around our Republican Canididate to defeat the Democrats in November, 2010.

I hope that this information is valuable and helpful when you decide to vote.

Thanks

Eric A. Dumatrait

Reasons to Become A Republican Precinct Chair

This posting was also posted on Big Jolly Politics today - http://www.bigjolly.com/, I want to first thank David Jennings of Big Jolly Politics for allowing me to express my views about why to be a Precinct Chair.

As Brenda Page discussed in the first Op-Ed on Big Jolly Politics it will take people at every level of government to take back our country from liberalism or should I say socialism. As a result I want to share some thoughts about why you should take that next step, and become a Republican Precinct Chair, in which you can build a strong grassroots campaign that will indeed take back our country from socialism.

As a Republican Precinct Chair your #1 goal is to maximize the Republican vote in your precinct, as you are the elected Republican leader in your precinct. This goal can be achieved by building a solid team within your precinct to register voters, inform voters, and turn out voters. Building a team is not as hard as many people think, as the #1 reason people do not volunteer is because they are not asked to volunteer and in many cases are not informed about how to get involved. In my opinion, the job of informing voters of current political events, issues, upcoming elections, and candidate information is the most important job of the precinct chair. My theory is that if voters are informed then they will turn out to vote, thus by informing the voter you will achieve your #1 goal.

As a Republican Precinct Chair you will also sit on the County Executive Committee in which you will be able to get further involved at the county level, and have the opportunity to participate on other committees. Your membership on the Executive Committee will allow you to express your concerns from your precinct voters that will help drive the Harris County Republican Party.

You will also have responsibilities in the convention process at the precinct, senatorial, and state conventions. As a Republican Precinct Chair you will be encouraged to become delegates to the senatorial and state conventions and are encouraged to volunteer on one of the convention committees. Again, this is another opportunity to make a huge difference and let your views known.

The best thing about becoming a precinct chair is that you have the power to make a difference at the grassroots level. The grassroots level movement is the lowest level, if you think about it; you are the foundation of government. Without a strong foundation a home cannot stand, so why don't you take the challenge to build that strong foundation and build a strong home for Harris County, the State of Texas, and Our Nation. Without a strong home you cannot protect your family from the elements, therefore without a strong grassroots effort you cannot protect you or your family from the loss of Liberty. Come join me in the fight and make things happen by filing for Republican Precinct Chair on or before January 4, 2010.

Thanks

Eric A. Dumatrait
Candidate for Precinct Chair 682

Building a Voter Coalition

Building a voter coalition between the Republican Party and the voter can be a very simplistic process, however it seems that the party including precinct chairs have failed to turn out the vote for Republican candidates. So you might ask how do we turn out the vote in every precinct for our candidates. As of this writing I am remembering that I have lived in this area since 1989, and I have never heard from a precinct chair in any of the precincts I have lived. One of the main goals and responsibilities of the precinct chair is to get the word out about the party and candidates thru periodical reports. After reading a speech given by Edwin Meese III of the Heritage Foundation about "How to Rebuild the Reagan Coalition", I realized that this is the exact reason we do not have a voter turnout above 30% in non-presidential elections. One of the main pillars of rebuilding the coalition is Communication of a vision. Meese states " ...the ability to take a vision and then communicate that vision to the American people in terms that they understand so that people can see how it affects them and their families personally." He then goes on to say that "Too often conservatives think in terms of policies, and too often our liberal friends on the other side talk in terms of people." This is exactly how why I think that we are missing the voter and not connecting them to build a coalition with them. We lack communication with the voters.


How do we re-build this coalition with the voters?


1. We must upgrade our communication process and include a hybrid of technology, and old fashion communication such as phone calling, canvassing, etc. The technological communications today should include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Rebuild the Party, and many other blogs, wiki's, etc. One of the most effective communication tools that can be used in written form is the mailing of a Precinct Newsletter. Newsletters are a great way to express many different ideas and could be a forum to communicate the required periodic reports that a precinct chair must perform as one of the responsibilities.

2. We must recruit a strong precinct team to effectively canvass the precinct with proper communications about the candidates, including local and school board elections. According to the Harris County Republican Party Precinct Chairman's Handbook "the #1 reason people don't volunteer is because no one ever asked them." The handbook also refers to the fact that "you will be surprised at the number of people who want to help, but they just don't know how to get started." The reason they do not know how to get involved is because the current precinct chairs are not communicating with their voters. As I have stated in previous blog postings people will volunteer to work the precinct, but they need to be informed and aware of the opportunities in which they can be involved.

As you can see the two above objectives will provide adequate communication to the voter and provide a personal touch in which will give the voter information as to how issues within the party and precinct will affect them in their life just the same as Meese suggests. If we achieve the two above objectives as it relates to communication a new coalition between the voter and party will emerge and we will see a new crop of Republican candidates emerge to public service.

Please join me in this effort and support me for Precinct Chair 682 in the upcoming March 2, 2010 election. With the voters help we will make Precinct 682 the best in Harris County.

Thanks

Eric A. Dumatrait

Dumatrait Enters Republican Precinct Chair 682 Race

Today I have announced that I am officially running for the Republican Precinct Chair 0682 Race. After, thoughtful consideration and research I feel it is best for our precinct that we elect people with true conservative values. One of the best ways to do this is to create a strong grassroots effort that will make a difference in the county, Texas and across the nation. My main goals and objectives for the Precinct are as follows:

1. Turn out the vote for true conservative candidates, including local elections such as city and school board elections.

2. Re-connect the voter to the Republican Party.

3. Recruit a volunteer base that will be strong and solid for years to come that drives the grassroots effort.

How to achieve the above objectives?:

In order to turn out the vote for true conservatives and re-connect voters with the party we need to provide adequate communications to all voters in the precinct.

A. The technological communication methods that should be used are the common social networking sites today such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Rebuild the Party to name a few.

B. Create a Precinct Newsletter that will give voters guidance of who are the true conservatives.

C. The newsletter can also be the forum for the periodic status reports required to be communicated to the electorate as one of the functions of precinct chairman set out in the document Precinct Chair Mission and Responsibilities of Precinct Chairman.

In order to recruit a volunteer base that will be strong and solid for years to come, we will need to begin a campaign to inform the voters.

A. People in the precinct are willing to volunteer but they need to understand how they can get involved.

B. Create a volunteer communication that will allow the voters to understand how they can get involved.

C. Canvass the precinct to communicate to voters the need to get involved. We need to put a personal touch on how important it is that they be involved.

D. I am not opposed to the old fashion phone calling.

E. Use the social networking sites, blogs, wiki’s, etc. to provide guidance to the voters as to the importance of the grassroots involvement.

We currently have 4,217 voters in the precinct as of the 2008 elections, this is a decrease from 2006. Voter turnout in non-presidential election years stays between 29 to 30 percent, which means only 1,220 of the 4,217 voters are voting in the precinct. We need to increase voter turnout for every election including the Constitutional Amendments. So you might ask, how can we get the voters to turnout. In my opinion the voter only votes if they are informed about the issues and how it impacts them personally. Thus, as precinct chair one of my main goals is to upgrade our communication process to ensure that the voters of the precinct will be informed and can vote with confidence as knowledge is power. I want to take this power of the voter and turn it into the strongest precinct in Harris County, and with the support of the voters I can make that happen. I will build a strong team within the precinct that will provide a strong grassroots effort to protect our county, state, and nation from the threat of a soft tyranny takeover.

Please join me in this effort by electing me Precinct Chair 0682, together we will be the true conservative voice we need.

Thank you and have a blessed day.

Eric Dumatrait