Former RPT Instructor Troy Jackson on How to be an Effective Republican
East Texans for Liberty (ET4L) held their monthly meeting on March 11 at Barbwire Halo Cowboy Church at 6761 Hwy 154 W., Gilmer, Texas.
Executive Director Stacy McMahan was the master of ceremonies. The meeting opened with prayer by Commissioner Gene Dolle and a complimentary dinner was served.
McMahan covered the recent primary results and the percentages of the victories. She introduced all the serving and elected officials to the crowd of seventy people.
Carl Byers, re-elected as the Republican Party Chairman, spoke to the crowd. Byers thanked all the many block walkers and volunteers who helped in this critical election. Under his leadership, for the first time in over a decade, the Republican Party opened a Headquarters on Buffalo Street in Gilmer. All candidates for office were able to use the facilities in their campaigns. This office will remain open until the end of March and will be re-established before the upcoming Presidential election in November.
The featured speaker was Troy Jackson Ph.D. Jackson is the founder of The Right Perspective and Strategies. As a former Republican Party of Texas instructor and strategist, he had a message for the Republicans who reside in Upshur County and surrounding areas. The mission is to teach “How to increase the effectiveness of Biblical Constitutional conservatives in the public policy process”.
Jackson stressed repeatedly, with several examples, the need to unite for a common cause of electing or keeping in office conservative Republicans. “This needs to be a grassroots movement with the Precinct Chairs on the front lines”, Jackson said. “Beginning immediately all activists need to learn their candidates’ platforms and be well informed about any legislation that may be on the ballot in November”, Jackson advised.
Jackson stressed the need for unity of activists, churches, and independent voters to get across the finish line together to win in November. An example Jackson gave was the 2018 campaign race of Senator Ted Cruz against Beto O’Rourke. The unity of the rural Republicans overcame the metropolitan areas’ vote against Cruz in the closest election results in forty years per the Texas Tribune. This November Senator Cruz again needs all rural areas to unite with him against opponent Democrat Colin Allred. Jackson stressed, “The time to begin is now, without making excuses, to unify… to push Senator Cruz again across the finish line in November.
In a follow-up discussion, after the meeting, McMahan quoted Ronald Reagan, “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is an 80 percent friend and not a 20 percent enemy.” She continued, “We as Upshur County Republicans look forward to working together to prevail in November”.
In a follow-up interview on Tuesday morning Troy Jackson said, “I’m glad people were so energized, and I was able to give them a different perspective last night and I enjoyed my time at ET4L.” As a side note, Jackson is running for vice-chair of The Republican Party of Texas. This race will be determined in May of this year at the State Republican Convention.
Photo provided by Linda Glenn, Big Sandy.