This is not an easy post to write. Calling for a change in leadership in any organization is always controversial and for me to do it seems a bit arrogant or pompous, especially when I haven’t been an insider in that organization. But make no mistake, I am a Republican and have been for my entire voting life, rarely crossing over to vote for a Democrat. I do this because, for the most part, the core values of the party platform match my own.

Why then would I tell people that Jared Woodfill, Chairman of the Harris County Republican Party must go? After all, I do not know Mr. Woodfill. I haven’t worked hand in hand with him and cannot possibly know the complete scope of his effort to build the party and elect Republicans. So why call for new leadership?

Last night, I attended one of what is planned to be many “town hall” meetings that are being put on by Mr. Woodfill and the Harris GOP. I thought that the meeting was well attended, counting 137 total bodies in the room, including citizens, politicians and party leaders. The invitation to attend the meeting listed the following agenda:

• A review of the most recent legislative session
• Information on the 2009-2010 Victory Plan for Harris County and details on how you can participate in the plan
• Information regarding social networks like Facebook and Twitter
• An opportunity to meet with Republican office holders
• A chance to network with other Republicans in your community

Each of these agenda items were fulfilled so I can have no complaint with that. Rep. John Davis did a quick recap of the session and even took a couple of questions from the audience. Mr. Woodfill brought a lot of energy to the meeting as he discussed his plans. Facebook and Twitter were discussed. There were certainly a lot of local politicians in the crowd and it was certainly an opportunity to network.

So what’s the problem?

Imagine my surprise when I walked into Judge Ditta’s courtroom and saw the despicable Terry Lowry sitting at the leader’s table. Frankly, I was shocked. Later I was sickened to learn that he is in charge of leading the “victory” plan. I actually spent 23 minutes of my life on this earth listening to that piece of trash talk about getting “mama” to register every eligible voter in her household. 23 minutes of wasted time that I will never recover.

Listening to a piece of garbage rumor monger that makes his living taking money from politicians and would be politicians and then “endorsing” them and spreading lies about their opponents.

23 minutes.

Probably the best description of Lowry I’ve ever read was posted on The County Seat blog last year.

For the last decade or more, Lowry has emerged biennially from his broadcasting bordello to ply his well known but seldom acknowledged trade upon would-be officeholders with a too little shame and too many federal reserve notes. For a couple thousand dollars and the privilege of treating Terry to dinner, any candidate could obtain a coveted voter slate endorsement, and with it, some say, instant electoral viability against the habitués of other slate-card call girls with more discerning tastes.

What Lowry does is despicable. The fact that Jared Woodfill allowed this piece of scum to speak at a Republican town hall meeting is reason enough to change leadership, never mind the thousands of dollars paid to him. But that isn’t the only reason.

Times are changing. Demographics are changing. Of those 137 bodies in the room last night, exactly 2 of them were black. A half dozen or so were Hispanic. At 50, I was one of the youngsters in the crowd.

Folks, that isn’t going to work if we really want conservative values to succeed and return this country to the great nation it aspires to be. We must reach out to minorities and young people. It is critical to do that. And the strategies of destruction that Mr. Woodfill and Mr. Lowry espouse are driving those people away from the Republican Party. Catering to a bunch of old white folk angry that life is passing them by and yelling about illegals and Hussein Obama isn’t going to work.

Harsh words? Surely. But unless we face reality and change the course that we are on, Republicans will continue their downward spiral.