Smith/Photo by Campaign
By Thomas Warren III, Editor-in-Chief
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, which was one of the best events I have ever attended in my life. Hearing lectures from some of the leading voices of the conservative movement was a treat and an inspiration.
The year I attended was 2016, right in the middle of the heated Republican primary, so I had the pleasure of hearing from not only presidential hopefuls like Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, but also from influencers like businessman Steve Forbes and the future voices of the movement, such as now-Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.
Several of the speeches left an impact on me and the way in which I view certain debates of national significance. However, over the past few weeks, I have begun thinking more and more about a speech delivered by radio host Glenn Beck. Beck’s speech related to standing strong in principle and conviction as members of the conservative movement, not selling out to the whims of politicos who would like to see conservatives ditch their values in pursuit of supposed electoral success.
The speech was a good one, and if you haven’t heard it, you should take 45 minutes and listen. Regardless, I have been thinking more about Beck’s speech and have been seeing key parallels to a certain election taking place in Amarillo right now.
Let me explain.
In Beck’s speech, he told the story of Charlie Bucket, the child at the center of the legendary novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In the 1971 film version of the novel, chocolate factory owner Willy Wonka announces a contest in which golden tickets will be placed in chocolate bars and the children who find the golden tickets can win tours of his factory. Charlie is too poor to buy a chocolate bar himself, but he finds a coin in the street and is able to buy just a single chocolate bar. In that bar, Charlie finds the last golden ticket. After winning the ticket, he is approached by Arthur Slugworth, a nefarious businessman who bribes Charlie to bring him a piece of candy from Wonka’s factory. After being caught doing Slugworth’s bidding in the factory, Charlie is disqualified from Wonka’s contest. However, he is given a choice and eventually chooses right over wrong.
During the CPAC speech, Beck cautioned conservatives to be careful about the Slugworths of the world who will try to con them into selling out on their convictions and principles with promises of grandeur, all while flashing a cunning smile and pockets full of cash.
This story and Beck’s speech have really struck a chord with me as I think about this year’s city election more and more. We know who the biggest players against the taxpayers are — Ginger Nelson and Amarillo Matters PAC — but we also have our own Slugworths who make great promises with their cunning smiles, all while leading us down a road of selling out on our principles and convictions. And it is critical, now more than ever, that the local conservative movement resist the temptations provided by Amarillo’s own Slugworth.
Candidate Claudette Smith has presented herself as a conservative choice in the May 1 election, despite having no conservative credentials on which to stand. After admitting in an interview that she had failed to vote before 2018, Smith has tried to con voters into believing she has been the most active conservative in Amarillo. At the same time, Facebook pages riddled with debunked conspiracy theories have popped up, each run by Smith’s significant other, Mike Fisher. These pages have been used to further divide Amarillo citizens and attack small businesses that Smith and Fisher oppose, all while promoting her candidacy for mayor.
Smith’s campaign has been aided financially thanks to loans provided by Fisher’s businesses, all while his pages have continued their assault on his political rivals, including true conservatives who have sought election to office.
And now, after playing the part of the Joker to the conservative candidates’ Batman in Amarillo’s elections, Fisher and Smith want to claim the high ground and promote her as the conservative candidate.
It is quite clear that with her cunning smile and face plastered on yard signs in Southwest Amarillo, Smith is the Slugworth of this election, with pockets full of cash provided by the same person who has spent months spreading debunked conspiracy theories and posting memes of elected officials dressed as Hitler.
This is an important election, Amarillo. We must hang on to our values and our convictions as small government conservatives. We must stay on the high road and fight the good fight, rejecting the temptation to lie and mislead in order to claim the mirage of electoral success.
We must work to promote candidates who have true track records of promoting small government, not those who just came onto the scene when it was convenient.
Most of all, we must stay true to who we are and not allow ourselves to be conned by a Slugworth with a cunning smile and fancy yard sign.
If we are serious about electing a true conservative who will bring people together and deliver results that will benefit every neighborhood in Amarillo, then we have our candidate in Michael Hunt.
But, if we are open to being conned by those who emerge from the shadows with limited ideas and who attempt to hijack the conservative movement through misinformation, all because they call themselves conservatives, then we deserve Claudette Smith.
Don’t sell out this year, Amarillo. Don’t be fooled by Slugworth.
Vote for the true conservative on May 1 and let’s save our city, together.