A Night to Remember
By Chris Turner, Chair of TCRP Precinct 404
(Photo Credit: Tammy Fogle)
ABILENE – On December 12, the Taylor County Republican Party held a Christmas Social Event intended to honor all the volunteers who helped make the party the most active and effective it has been in years. Not only was there good food and fellowship, but the TCRP was honored to have Abraham George, the Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas as the special guest speaker. With the RINOS in the Texas State House looking to bend the knee to democrats for power instead of standing with the nominee the Republican caucus chose, there couldn’t have been a better time to hear from George, and he didn’t shy away or mince words.
TCRP Chairman Ryan Goodwin took time at the beginning of the evening to talk about the various ways the party got involved in the ‘Get Out the Vote’ effort leading into the 2024 Election. From block walkers, packet stuffers, phone bankers, and Trump Train participants to volunteers who manned the fair booth or worked at Election HQ, all in attendance were recognized. Special mention went to Dan Pickens for implementing the voter information into a system that made block walking possible, Darla Avery for leading the ‘Get Out the Vote’ effort, and Rich Sanders for his contributions to signs, promotional material, and many of the other things he provided to help TCRP thrive.
Following the acknowledgement portion of the evening, Liz Case Pickens came up and gave a short and important introduction for Chairman George. She spoke about what a big deal it was for the TCRP to get a speaker like Abraham George to come to Abilene. She mentioned how two years ago only 6 delegates attended the State Convention and this time, 6 times that number went, showing exactly how much the party is growing.
Chairman George came up next and wasted no time showing the knowledge and charisma that helped get him elected as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. His highlights included saying the precinct chairs are his favorite people to deal with. They are the elected officials who are not politicians. Politicians will tell you what they think you want to hear. Precinct Chairs will tell you exactly what they think, are very passionate, and they’re not going to change.
He went on to talk about the Republican State convention and the Texas GOP platform and pushed back on the outlandish comment Representative Stan Lambert made about the party platform just being a “wishlist”. Chairman George said the Governor, Lt. Governor, and one speaker candidate takes the priorities and State platform seriously. He was referring to David Cook. He made it clear that Dustin Burrows does not.
From there, George talked about why the Republican Party of Texas didn’t want to spend money to go after Republicans but how it was necessary when they tried to get in bed with Democrats to give them power the voters of Texas didn’t vote for. He mentioned how Donald Trump, Jr. spoke about the Texas Speaker race and how it’s getting national attention.
Chairman George talked more about our favored frontrunner for Texas House Speaker, David Cook. He said he agreed to support the Republican priorities, agreed to not put Democrats in charge, and agreed that Republican priority bills will get to the floor before any democrat bills. Dustin Burrows has not.
From there, he talked about the ongoing effort to close primaries and how that will help real conservatives get elected, and not RINOS who depend on Democrat help. George believes the primaries will be closed by the next election, whether by the legislator or by the Republican Party of Texas’s legal action. Without directly naming the current Representative of HD71, the Chairman made it clear that these “Republicans” who don’t get in line with their party and their base are going to be unelectable in less than 500 days. He talked about the massive ad campaign and direct mailers being sent into Dustin Burrow’s district and hinted that the same fate could follow other representatives.
The speech was electric and informative and was one worth hearing. The State party is in good hands with Chairman Abraham George leading it. He gets it and knows what the grassroots and precinct level Republicans want. Even more so than some of the current State Reps.
After the event, George took the time to meet and greet members and take pictures. The event was a lot of fun and was one worth attending. It was a great way to end what has been a very strong year for an ever-growing Taylor County Republican Party. – CT
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE TCRP!