UPDATE: Some video of the Q&A: Part 1
Part 2:
The best way to announce this is with the email that went out to the two candidates: State Sen. Florence Shapiro and Libertarian candidate Ed Kless:
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We had 29 ballots turned in (out of 32 given out) from our membership that was at the excellent forum tonight held by the Allen Area Patriots: A significant number of our members were attending other campaign events this evening (Wednesday being our normal meeting day elsewhere).
( A tie would be classified as a ‘No TeaApproval’).
Florence Shapiro 11 Yes , 18 No
Ed Kless 14 Yes , 15 No
So, at this time, we cannot ‘TeaApprove’ either of you as a group (which is NOT a Negative, but a lack of a positive).
However, I believe each of you gained converts tonight with your well-done points and counter-points. And certainly your supporters can say you did quite well. You were dealing with a tough crowd.
Wewill attempt to process the HD video we took and get some clips up on site as well in the next few days.
We wish you both the best on the campaign trail.
Many thanks to Allen Area Patriots and North Texas Tea Party for hosting this informative debate! We all gained a better understanding of the candidates’ positions on issues and will now be able to cast informed vote in November. And while it’s unfortunate neither candidate received the “TeaApprove” stamp, the results appear to indicate which candidate is preferred.
Thank you for the opportunity to be with all of you last night. I enjoyed the spirited debate and appreciated the chance to meet with your members for an evening of valuable discussion. This is a crucible moment in our country’s history–it is important that we have leaders who are listening and have the best interests of the people in mind. I will continue to work for limited government and the rights of the people. My hope is that before the Legislature convenes this January, I can meet with all of you again–this time for a conversation about Texas’ budget priorities. I look forward to keeping this conversation going.
–Florence Shapiro
Senator Shapiro –
re:”I will continue to work for limited government”
Please list below the Texas government programs you are working to eliminate or downsize.
I did not attend this forum but I’ve met Mr. Kless and have heard him speak.
I’d be interested in asking the 29 responders “In what areas did Kless and Shapiro veer away from NorthTexas Tea Party’s slogan “return to fiscal sanity in government”?
Last evening Senator Shapiro stated she was in favor of Term Limits. Since she has served 17 years in the Senate I wonder what her definition of limits is?
How can we expect Senator Shapiro to fulfill her oath of upholding the U.S. Constitution when 1) she admitted her unfamiliarity with the 17th Amendment and 2) her actions (or lack thereof) have shown a blatant disregard for states’ rights under the 10th amendment?
donna, you did hit a key point: Florence came across as a 90+% conservative with her words; her actions- and votes- don’t come close to matching that. Her records are here:
http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=5456
Look through them and you’ll find- based on the ratings of MANY different organizations- a record of a center-right politician- who has been moving leftward for the last couple of terms (about the time she started showing ambition for higher office). Politics over principle, a symptom of too long in office.
This was my first ‘approval’ meeting. Would someone please explain the voting system? Yes’s vs. Nos. Thank you.
we sent out an extensive email with what we knew about both candidates, including the text of what TeaApproved means (which is also on a tab above on this site). It comes down to what the membership thinks in terms of whether the candidate will be a strong supporter of the Five Principles when IN OFFICE (they all mouth the words to let you hear what you want to here).
Yes means they are TeaApproved and we have a good level of confidence; no means we are unsure.
[...] “Tea Approved” by the North Texas Tea Party, but then again, neither was Senator Shapiro. As posted on their blog, here are the [...]
On this the Senator and I agree, I was an honor to be with you on Thursday evening.
I would like to thank the NTTP for their consideration (especially Michael Openshaw), the Allen Area Patriots for hosting the event (especially Chuck and Cindy), my supporters for coming out to the event (especially my wife Christine), and Senator Florence Shapiro for attending (most incumbents would not have attended).
I would ask the members to consider this one question survey before casting your vote in November. Are you more for:
A. A more active state government in Austin with more services and higher taxes and fees, or;
B. A less active state government in Austin with fewer services and lower taxes and fees.
Did anyone happen to see that Kathie Glass has signed the Tea Party Patriots pledge? She has a tough fight ahead of her but she has our momentum behind her – I hope you’ll join me in telling your friends about Kathie Glass and her plans to restore fiscal responsibility any true conservative values to Texas.
Additionally, if you’re interested in throwing some real weight behind Kathie, please take a second to sign this petition asking Debra Medina to endorse her: http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/endorsekathieglass/
I would like to know what the NTTP definition of a “tie” exactly is? I am somewhat confused with the results. It is clear that Ed Kless won on a simple vote with 14 yes’s to Shapiros 11 Yes’s. I understand that the No’s are 15 for Kless and outweighs his yes count, but he got fewer no’s than Shapiro. I would like a more clear explantion of how the NTTP picks its winners. I am beginning to believe that this tea party is another organization that does not want to anger the GOP. I hope that I am wrong.
Brad, Simple: the Yes’s must be greater in number than the No’s (not equal either for a given candidate to be TeaApproved. Neither candidate reached that threshold. It’s not votes in opposition to each other; each candidate stands alone for the vote and each voter casts Yes or No on each.
As for angering the GOP, most of us couldn’t care less; the very fact we had this TeaApproved consideration angered many. Our ‘RINO Hunting Association’ T-Shirts and mugs anger many. Tough. We gave Ed Kless a fair shot, as I believe even he would admit; our membership just missed TeaApproving him. The difference likely resides in the drug legalization area (State vs. individual aspects of the 10th Amendment). We could discuss the policy differences between Tea Partiers and Libertarians in length- and will- but this is not the venue for it.