Wait For It . . .

Published on:

May 19, 2025

Chairman's Monday Message

The adept commander on the battlefield never allows his opposition to take the initiative. It is imperative to remain one step ahead in order to deny your battlefield opponent’s options and place them in an untenable position. This is the premise of Sun Tzu’s seminal work, “The Art of War.” Yes, I know that everyone is focused on Donald Trump’s book, “The Art of the Deal,” and in many ways it is a business interpretation of Sun Tzu’s work.

So, what does that introductory paragraph have to do with the title of this missive?

Here in Texas, we are just weeks away from the “sine die” of the 89th Texas legislative session. Remember, in Texas, the legislature officially meets for legislative business every other year. But what we know will happen, as always, wait for it . . . we will be told how this session was “the most conservative session ever.”

Just wait, you will soon have mailers from desperate Republican incumbents concerned about next year’s March primary trying to convince the masses how great they are. I tend to believe that if you were successful in doing something, you need not advertise it. The success would speak for itself. As well, if this were “the most conservative legislative session ever,” the tell-tale sign would be the abject dismay of progressive socialists and their incessant whining and displeasure. As of this moment, we have not heard too much complaining from leftists in Texas about this legislative session, which means the screws were certainly not tightened.

My recommendation would be for us to not succumb to the social media posts and mail pieces, which well-funded incumbents can send ad nauseam, ad infinitum. It would be better to start reviewing the legislative priorities of the Republican Party of Texas. Then get access to the respective pieces of legislation that are aligned with those priorities. Then simply do a check off and see which one of those pieces of legislation were actually passed in a Republican dominated Texas House and Senate. You will probably be more pleased with the Texas State Senate rather than the Texas House where there is an 88-62 majority, but somehow, leftists end up dictating the narrative.

Now, I hear what you are saying: “Colonel, I ain’t got the time to do all that!” My immediate response is that you are part of the problem. You are indeed the target of those who make pithy social media posts and send out cut and paste mail pieces. The survival of our Constitutional Republic, and Texas, depends upon an engaged, informed, activated, and astute electorate. Ignorance is not bliss. But, we realize that is the case for many, so the Dallas County Republican Party has a Legislative Priorities team that has been tracking this legislative session and posting their analyses and assessments for you. At least you can find the time to read them, and ask us — or even better, your elected representative — questions.

There are those out there who will say this is not helpful. They will say that we should not hold our very own elected Republican officials accountable and responsible for their actions, their votes. They give us the false option of “would you rather have a Democrat?” Well, no, but is it too much to ask for folks to adhere to the campaign rhetoric they profess? If we choose to accept this behavior, well, we are participating in a great Pavlovian experiment.

What we plan to do, as soon as the legislative session is over, is invite our Dallas County Republican elected officials at the state level to address our County Executive Committee at our June meeting. If you recall, our Republican Mayor, Eric Johnson, accepted an invitation to address the CEC and take questions. That is what I call being accountable, and he explained decisions that some did not have the full information for, or context as to why they happened.

One of the great tools that enable combat commanders to improve is the training we conduct at places like the National Training Center (NTC) in the Mojave desert and the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at what was formerly known as Ft. Polk. After each battle against the home station OPFOR (Opposing Forces) there was an AAR (After Action Report)  where a transparent precision level analysis and assessment of the battle was presented. I think it is time we held AARs for our elected officials, full transparency, and ask them to explain why they voted and decided as they did. No social media posts, no slick manipulated language mail pieces. The question is, how many would actually show up? The other question is, how many of you would show up, or even care?

The March 2026 primary elections will be upon us before we know it. We can choose to reward the same behavior, or decide to do something different. Remember, the quote attributed to Albert Einstein, “the pure definition of insanity is to continue to do the same thing and expect different results.”

So, wait for it: “This was the most conservative legislative session ever.” Will you be savvy enough to call “Bovine Excrement?”

Steadfast and Loyal.