In a move that no doubt sends Harris County Democrats into paroxysms of joy, exiting Harris County Judge Robert Eckels appointed Ed Emmett to replace him today.
Ed Emmett, a political insider who has worked mostly behind the scenes since leaving elective office in the 1980s, gained a higher profile this morning with his appointment as Harris County judge.
From all accounts, Mr. Emmett is a fine fellow and an accomplished consultant. But he has not been able to win high-profile elections and the Dems are doing cartwheels in anticipation of taking over Harris County in 2008, as they did in Dallas County in 2006.
Why would Mr. Eckels do this to voters that elected him just a short time ago, especially after a distinguished career in politics? Money? Perhaps. Notoriety? Perhaps. To gear up for a run at higher office? Perhaps. Fact is, no one really knows.
What we do know is that his move will be remembered in 2008. And that does not bode well for Harris County Republicans. I wonder which one will be the first to switch to the Dems? I wonder if voters even care anymore.
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This is one voter that does not care anymore. After not doing anything about caps and the border they have lost my vote.
Edd had a great idea this morning. basically when someone who is in office as a Republican fails to follow the party platform, and wanders off the “reservation” then they will be for lack of a better word, “excomunicated” from the party and will no longer get any support, what so ever, from the county, or state party. I think that would be a great idea then maybe we could hold these SOB’s accountable.
Why are all the rino turning demo - same reason all the demos turned rino.
Where have the conservatives gone?
“Stupid is as stupid does”
Forrest Gump
I did not leave the Republican party, the Republican party left me!
Yes, Bobby Eckles’ actions are just one more in the soap opera of the Republicans self destruction. It must be in the water they’re serving these people.
The idiots have been self-destructing since 1994 and they don’t even know it.
I think the Dems have spiked their drinks with mescaline.
No single group of people could be so universally and continuously stupid without chemical assistance.
Another rousing victory for Dan Patrick.
Yes, Bobby Eckles’ actions are just one more in the soap opera of Republicans self destruction. It must be in the water they’re serving these people.
The idiots have been self-destructing since 1994 and they don’t even know it.
I think the Dems have spiked their drinks with mescaline.
No single group of people could be so universally and continuously stupid without chemical assistance.
Double posting unintended
#8 gaddie
Why is everything about Dan?
gadboy
Oustside of the radio opinion, what was Dan Patrick’s involvement in this matter?
Here let me give you the short answer…..
None.
I will vote against anyone who participates in this sort of nonsense in the primary. If they win, I will vote for their opponent in the general election, even it only a Dem. is running against them. The Republican leadership will change their ways, or the party will die and be replaced.
Too many politicians used the “R” to get elected. Unfortunately for the voters, we didn’t know “R” meant “rino”, we thought it meant Republican. We Dan has managed to flush out those so-called Republicans so we will be going “rino” hunting in the next primary. Even some of the Democrats (like Perry) changed over to the winning side (aka the Republicans) to get elected and they became “rinos”. So now our state has three parties with the “rinos” leaning Dimwit by their “tax and spend” tactics. The voters didn’t see the “rinos” coming but they know who they are now.
It’s the good old American way. Help a guy get a good job in Purchasing and when you start selling to him, keep reminding him how he got his job. Sleezy, but not uncommon.
Republicans are toast. There are not ANY influential conservatives in the party. There are some who still have values, but unfortunately none that will “move up” and be an influence and stop the moral decay. These guys are all about money and paybacks.
I sure hate to disagree with the customers but Eckels is no RINO. That is what is so frustrating about this! And to be perfectly honest, if he’s going to leave and if Emmett is everything he’s said to be, I’m glad he is replacing himself (does that sound weird or what?) with someone that is competent vs. someone that is a party gadboy (heh, that was intentional!).
I just don’t understand! He’s like the best Repub I know and he does this! And FWIW, he’s still the best Repub I
knowvoted for.And yeah, FedUpCracker, the Pubbie’s are toast in Harris County. The Dem’s will control the county next after the next election cycle. See Shannon’s multiple observations on this.
As far as Emmett goes, he was legally appointed and now it’s a done deal. Griping about the process won’t change anything about that. So what should we do as conservatives for 2008? Here are my suggestions:
1. GIVE EMMETT A FAIR CHANCE. Watch him over the next few months and see what kind of policies he implements. If he cuts taxes, reigns in spending, and governs from the right then there’s no reason why we shouldn’t campaign hard for him in 2008. If he goes RINO, then we toss him in the 2008 primary.
2. FIX THE APPOINTMENT PROCESS. This is where Sen. Dan Patrick will be the most effective. My suggestion is to change the government code to impose a severe penalty in salary and pension to any elected official who resigns early except when (1) it is required by law, as is sometimes the case for seeking another office, or (2) medical reasons involving the official or his immediate family. Resignation for any other reason means automatic forfeiture of your salary for a year and all state or county pension benefits. This will discourage the manipulation of the electoral system and, more importantly, end the revolving door court system we have where judges resign early and Rick Perry appoints the successor. IMHO Dan needs to draft this bill now and file it first thing tomorrow.
3. DUMP WOODFILL NOW. HCRP Chairman Jared Woodfill needs to go, and last night proved exactly why: he’s considered an irrelevant factor when it comes to making policy decisions. This is also largely by his own doing because he is inaccessible, indecisive, and disliked by most elected officials for the first two reasons. If he stays in office we’re looking at a Dallas-style disaster in 2008. Under Woodfill’s tenure the local Republican electorate has imploded. GOP ticket strength peaked in Harris County around 2002 at 53.3% for our lowest county vote-getter with a 40,000 vote margin. That’s the year Woodfill took power. It’s been a downward trend ever since. In 2004 our lowest vote-getter was 52.1%. In 2006 it was 50.6%. The margin is now only 6,700 votes separating us from a Democrat victory and 10,000 votes from a Democrat sweep of county judicial offices like Dallas had.
4. BETTENCOURT FOR CONGRESS. Paul Bettencourt needs to be our candidate for congress against Nick Lampson in CD 22. Furthermore, he needs to have a clear shot at this without going through a brutal primary (note to Shelley Sekula-Gibbs-Rodriguez-Rylander-Strayhorn: shut up and get out of the way). Paul is the ONLY candidate who can easily dispense with Lampson. His presence on the ticket for US Congress will also excite Republican voter turnout and boost our whole ticket.
The problem with Woodfill’s handling of the Eckels resignation: http://houstonconsigliere.blogspot.com/2007/03/leverage.html
17. bigjolly
bigjolly is right. Eckels is no RINO. He is a conservative and has walked the walk in public office, not just posted on the internet. The problem with too many Reactionaries (er, Republicans) is that the first time someone does or says something they don’t like, he is labeled a RINO. As I have pointed out before on this site, Ronald Reagan and Wm F Buckley would have been drummed out of the party if Edd Hendee and his parrots wrote the rules. (And, let’s see, would I pick Edd Hendee or Ronald Reagan?)
I confess I don’t know that much about Emmett. (He isn’t the same guy who used to fix toasters on The Andy Griffith Show, is he?) However, I do have a question: What are the reasons so many of you are convinced he will be a disaster?
Always looking to be educated, I am,
Thirsty
By the way, I agree the Dems are poised to take over many Harris County offices, including judgeships, next time around. I think that’s a combination of Republican incompetence and natural cycles. Remember, the Dems ruled the roost in DC for many years before GOP took over. Now it has switched back.
Phil_M -
Jared was part of putting together a letter from the party leaders (chairman, executive director, senatorial district chairs, etc.) calling on Eckels to appoint someone with high name ID and experience in Harris County (i.e., anyone but Ed Emmett).
At the end of Eckels long speach (to apply the KY jelly), the discussion was opened up for questions. Jarod allowed Dan Patrick to have pretty free reign of the microphone for several minutes. Although I agree with Dan and share his anger over this situation, I do have to say that his manner could have given an unfavorable chairman ample excuse to cut him off.
In fact, even before Eckels started his speach, Dan, by virture of having covered the facility fee for the meeting, was granted several minutes at the podium to rail against what Eckels was doing to us. It’s typical for one person to pay for the pizza and one to pay for the drinks, then for these two to be allowed a few minutes to address the floor. This is the first time that I’ve even seen a third to be allow to join in by paying the facility fee. I think it would have been easy enough for Jarod to have turned Dan down on that request if he wanted to deny him the forum.
The resolution at the HREC meeting last night (honoring Eckels for what’s he’s done in the past + saying we trusted him to make the right choice for his replacement) wasn’t brought by Jared; it was moved by SD 11 chair Cheryl Berg.
A motion to amend was raised to strike the latter part of the resolution, but that motion failed by a close vote. The resolution passed as initially read by Cheryl.
A motion was then made introducing a separate resolution calling on Eckels to nominate either Bettencourt or Baccarese. Someone raised a point of order, saying that this resolution contradicted the one just passed. Jerod did not rule on that point of order, but instead let the floor decide. The floor voted this motion to be out of order.
Now, I do think Jarod should have ruled on the point of order himself, and I don’t think the second motion should have been ruled out of order. But other than that, how can you say Jarod proved last night that he had to go? Are you aware of some other roll he played in all this?
#21 RickG Said:
That’s nice. But would someone care to document this assertion Eckels is a conservative. If so conservative it should be easy. Thanks.
#17-What is a party gadboy?
#23 -
I’ll address the first question shortly, but in answer to the second: yes. As many have noted here, Eckels is no RINO and would never appoint a liberal succesor. Eckels also has a long history of backing the HCRP (he was one of its largest donors last year - $25,000). When Woodfill entered into the fray on this thing he did so with guns firing at Eckels as well as Radack and Eversole. I said it at the time and I will say it again - Jared was stupid to do so. He should have seen Eckels as an ally - not somebody in need of a public flogging in the name of the so-called “grassroots.” All it would’ve taken is a phone call saying “Judge Eckels - this is Jared Woodfill. I know that you want to ensure a conservative successor is selected next month, but you also need to get Eversole and Radack on board. Right now they’re backing Emmett. Who would you rather have and what can we at the HCRP do to help you sway Eversole and Radack behind your choice?” I am 100% certain that Eckels would have taken a friendly call like that, and certain he would have been willing to discuss an alternative to Emmett. I’m certain because he’s done it before on dozens of commissioner’s court votes where the outcome wasn’t looking good.
But Jared doesn’t communicate well with elected officials. In fact he often doesn’t communicate well at all. Simply try to get the guy on the phone and you’ll know what I’m referring to.
Worse still, Jared decided to take his case to the media and more specifically the liberal Houston Chronicle, which would like nothing more than to see a fight between the party and its officeholders. Instead of politely contacting Eckels, Jared publicly threatened to withhold future electoral support from Eckels (as if Jared even has that power). His letter to the commissioners was no better. Far from a polite and private invitation to the commissioners (BTW had Jared called him up and politely asked, I’ll bet that even Radack would’ve shown up last night), it was written for no other reason than to blast around to the media and the email lists. If you’re trying to sway a longtime ally into voting with you the very last thing you want to do is send him a proclamation demanding that he kiss your ring at the next public forum…but that is essentially what Jared did to Eckels.
The scuttlebutt around the county courthouse is that Jared’s letter, the threat about withholding future votes, and his generally unaccomodating demeanor are what pushed Eckels behind Emmett and sealed the deal.
#24 - Eckels has been a consistent advocate for property tax cuts on the court. He’s also the primary reason that the rates themselves haven’t been increased in almost a decade. In 2001 Eckels also tried to redistrict the Commissioner precincts to ensure District 2 would go Republican. Radack and Eversole were afraid Robert Talton would run for it, so they watered it down hoping it would elect a moderate (Johnny Isbell). The plan backfired and we got Sylvia Garcia.
#23 cont - Regarding what Jared did wrong last night. The answer is several things.
1. The entire strategy of demanding that Eckels come before the Executive Committee to be shamed into voting for somebody other than Emmett was ridiculous itself. Eckels is one of the elected officials who usually shows up at Executive Committee meetings anyway and doesn’t have to be rudely summoned there with a form letter! That shows a chairman who is out of touch with his own party’s elected officials, including the ones that are supposed to be his allies.
2. All of the positions backed by the leadership (i.e. what Jared wanted) were soundly rejected by his own executive committee. He lost the Eckels commendation by Berg. He lost the amendment to that resolution to strip out the last clause. He lost the Bacarrise endorsement. That shows a chairman who is out of touch with even his own executive committee.
3. Jared’s strategy last night clearly did not accomplish its stated goal. It only pissed Eckels off and made the majority of the executive committee mad at Jared. That shows a chairman who is ineffective at policymaking.
#22 - It’s more than simply cycles at the local level. Texas is a conservative state and always has been, both under Democrat and Republican governments. True there were liberal Dems in office at times, and there are liberal Repubs like Perry in office today. But there have ALWAYS been conservatives in at least some of the elected offices of state and county government. We’re not like New York where every office goes liberal on a bad electoral year.
Harris County may be on the verge of electing some VERY liberal judges though. For example the Dems like to run Randall Kalinen - head of the local ACLU. The reason isn’t a change in the electorate’s mood - it’s still as conservative as ever. It is a decline in Republican voter loyalty and turnout, and it is due in large part to an ineffective county chairman who simply doesn’t get the message out for local officials. Republican straight ticket raw numbers for 2006 actually dropped below where they were in 1996. Think about that. Harris County’s population has boomed in the last ten years, yet we actually LOST straight ticket Republican votes. Not just percentages but raw numbers.
That tells me whatever the HCRP is doing isn’t working. In fact, what they are doing to get out the vote often seems to be in SPITE OF a chairman who is habitually AWOL around election time and who never has any policy victories. Jared Woodfill is essentially the “me too” chairman. Whenever a conservative official does something significant Woodfill sends out an empty blast email saying “me too.” He’s never in the lead and his press releases never advance whatever issue he’s pushing. He’s Johnny-come-lately riding on the credit of what Paul Bettencourt or Dan Patrick or Ted Poe or Robert Eckels or John Culberson or Robert Talton or Debbie Riddle did that made news the day before.
Want proof of that? Look at all of Jared’s press releases for the last year and show me which position he took actually succeeded.
First of all gadhermefroditeboy is actually a liberal troll of the female gender hiding in the bushes taking potshots…DON’T FEED HER!
Rick G #22 I agree with, but #21 you missed it!
I am steamed about Eckels the same way so many conservatives are…WE DID’NT GET TO VOTE ON THE POSITION! As right as Eckels might be (???) The next guy to pull that move and elect his own boy and usurp the will of the people may not do it for the right reason and elect one of his own to have certain control over his policies. If that sounds familiar remember a Houston Mayor after Lanier by the name of Brown? Since when does even a good man get to decide who will replace him without the voters input? It looks like a crook, it sounds like a crook, and it smells like a crook…that’s because it crooked as the day is long.
I plan on not just sitting out on the next election for county Judge but I will vote for anyone else, ANYONE OTHER THAN EMMET. I cannot allow such a president to stand and have no recourse. I will act out in revolt of such actions and see the demise of the Republican Party and hope for the genesis of a new conservative movement! It is pathetic that we have come from holding our noses for Perry and getting it in the backside to making excuses for why Eckels is installing his own regime soon after his election. If that sounds familiar, it should remember Mr. Tom Delay and getting Secula Gibbed by Lampson? The game has changed for the worse and heading south as long as we keep making excuses and allowing president to stand.
IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE
It is interesting that there is such righteous indignation over the actions of Bob Eckles and Ed Emmett by Dan Patrick and company, when Dan and his democratic opponent Michael Kubosh sandbagged voters in the State Senate District 7 election last November. Such indignation is hypocritical, given their own actions in the last election. This is “the pot calling the kettle black”, but you may now commence with the spin and justification in an attempt to say this is all really “apples and oranges”. Don’t forget to pillory me in the process, too. It should make for an entertaining read.
Mr. Hargett,
Do you really think that they “sandbagged voters” or are you looking for an argument? I’m not sure that they are the same but am willing to listen to your reasoning.
30. Gimme
I’m not making excuses for Eckels, just saying he was not a RINO. I agree that it is not fair for him and Delay to quit when they did. I don’t know why Eckels quit when he did, but I’m sure he’s said something about the timing, hasn’t he?
I find the system odd in itself, where Eckels gets such a role in choosing his successor. I would think those with more of a stake in the choice should get to make the decision.
And, on an unrelated note, I am still looking for information on why Emmett is such a horrible choice.
#32 bigjolly:
I do believe that the Senate District 7 election was sandbagged, and no, I’m really not looking for an argument, or to purposefully be argumentative. My point is that if ANY elected official has had a business/professional/other type of relationship with either his/her replacement or opponent that creates the impression of collusion, then the moral equivalency of the two acts kicks in. There was a business and social relationship between Dan Patrick and his republican-turned-democratic opponent Michael Kubosh, admitted to by both, that existed before last year’s election. There is now circumstantial evidence to indicate that this relationship could have existed even before the primaries took place. Now, we have the same potential for such a relationship to have also existed between Eckles and Emmett, even before the election took place. Edd Hindee eluded to this potential himself this morning on his show, but refuses to morally link the 2 different relationships together with equivalency. I do indeed link them, and am sickened by the hypocrisy of both.
And, thanks for the offer to at least listen. I’ve been castigated previously by posters on this board before and admittedly am a bit hyper-sensitive to opening myself up to more of the same.
#33 I do not find it odd at all, but flat out fraudulent! As with so many things in life we learn from experience. As do politicians, when they discover the angle to appoint their own replacement and continue to have control (See examples in my last comment). With the willing cohorts in the media that help re-direct the focus from such a hennas undermining of our electoral system to “the problem being of name recognition”, they are almost making it out to be ok as long as it is legal! For true conservatives to make any headway we cannot just wait for things that are “illegal” to act! Just because it’s legal does not make it right, and doing the right thing does not mean staying just inside the law! What reason or excuse could possibly justify taking away the votes of “WE THE PEOPLE”.
This is an ugly president to allow, “It IS TIME FOR A CHANGE”.
Where is our Republican Conservative party leaders, do they have the sand to deal with this type of behavior? If not the Republican Party membership is going to hemorrhage to diminishing numbers until they wake up and smell the river!
It is getting harder to tell the difference between parties, not just behind closed doors but even in the light of day.
Is any one else tired of hearing how hard they try to get our taxes lowered, but we just can not do it? Mr. Eckels et al seems to accomplish a lot when it’s his idea and what he truly wants. What happened to doing what’s right?
#34 Jay Hargett
Well, all I can say is that, although I’ve never met Dan personally, I’ve “known” him through the media since the Bum Phillips Oilers days. That’s a long time, my friend. And I’ve listened to him for more hours of unscripted radio than I care to admit and no one, absolutely no one, can fool me for that long.
If I’d have known your response would have been to challenge him personally, I’d never have asked. I thought you were making a generic argument about politics. Responding in any way to those allegations might give someone the idea that I consider them credible or possible, which I do not. Thus, I can also say that I cannot accept the other allegation about Eckels/Emmett. I don’t listen to Edd (yes, even the bigjolly has to work), so I missed that but wonder if your perception of his comments is skewed in a negative way.
I’ll just choose to say I’m sorry I asked and do what that other guy does, shake my head at what happens in a free speech society.
34 and 36
I don’t know about a sandbagged election, because I don’t know what “sandbagged” means in that context, but I do know that JFK himself could have run as the Democrat, and he was not going to win that seat. I have lived in that district many a year (uh, longer than Patrick lived in it), and Patrick’s win was only remarkable because of the percentages, not because it was a runaway (that happened every election I can remember before Danny Goeb ever got in a race).
What the Patrick-Kubosh dance was is silly. Here’s the Dem nominee who says, “Oh, no, I don’t object to the Republican nominee having two hours of free advertising via a radio program each day, and I certainly won’t request equal time. I’m a good, good guy.” And the Republican nominee having his Democratic opponent on his radio show to discuss the Dem’s red light camera schtick because he’s a good, good guy.. Sounds like the old days, eh comrade?
Though I’m a Republican, I say the Democratic nominee should at least have the conviction and gumption to stake out his claim and tell why he is on the ticket and would be a better choice. Otherwise, quit wasting our time and money. I would expect that from any Republican running in a heavily Democratic district.
Otherwise, we give credence to what a lot of folks are saying anyway: The two party system is a fraud, as “there’s not a dime’s worth of difference” between them (quote attributable to countless observers). When that truly happens, we are sunk.
35
I truly believe that our man of the people, Dan Patrick, should introduce a bill permitting ballot initiatives like they have in California. Then, we don’t have to beg the insiders in Austin to do something, we can put it on the ballot ourselves. What I’ve found, though, is that people who get elected to public office don’t like the idea that we serfs could go over their heads to our fellow citizens.
With the initiative system, we could put up or shut up. We could then find out: either everyone believes as we do, and would say so if they just had a chance to vote on it, or we are the ones in the minority and better start drafting a new strategy.
Either way, has Sen. Man of the People introduced such a bill? Did I just miss it?
#37 RickG
But what about the primary? No one predicted that. Dan wiped out his insider competition. Who really cares about the final election in that district? You yourself said you expected that. But the primary? People do want change and the right candidate can bring them out to the polls. IMHO, of course!
#38 To assert that Dan is anything short of our best shot at political reform is disingenuous or being manipulative to meet your own ends. He is one of the most consistent Conservative and righteous people I have heard from, period. He seems to cover many points and angles, far more than any other, perfection is a high standard by any means! Is that what you expect from Dan? Who then say you to best Dan Patric?
Hey Jay Hargett!! What’s wrong Bubba? Alex Jones at Poisonedpenplanet got all the good conspiracy theories sewn up?
I see on your “blog” that you are so hyper-sensitive to opening yourself up you don’t allow comments. Throw out the accusations but can’t stand the challenges to your “little” theories? I suppose you sensitive types operate that way.
40
I don’t, God knows, expect perfection out of anybody. All I’m saying is if Sen Patrick is so sincere about returning power to the people, why doesn’t he seek to give us the power of ballot initiative.
How many times did he say he was running to give conservatives “a place at the table.” Did he mean only if he got to control the agenda?
Why do you disagree with giving people the direct power to effect change? You certainly seem to have a mind independent of Dan Patrick. Surely most folks can make their own decisions without having to be told what to think.
RICK I would suggest that you speak directly to Dan on his agenda. As to your suggestion that I disagree with any thing you have yet to ask me about is silly!? If your last paragraph in #42 is some form of asking my opinion, you certainly have poor form! For the sake of communication I will declare my support for a ballot referendum or initiative, although I am sure with the cheese eating weasel rats that populate the majority of Austin seats at this time the idea is dead before it starts. Maybe after a major shift in personnel??? Maybe!