Reviews of

Grassroots Women:
A Memoir of the Texas Republican Party

Review submitted to BarnesandNoble.com

REVIEW TITLE: How Women Remade the Texas G.O.P.

The book GRASSROOTS WOMEN is two things: a brief history of women in the Republican Party of Texas since 1952; more importantly a 'how to' manual for political activists.

HISTORY: Reaction to post Civil War Reconstruction had made Texas a staunch pillar of the "Solid South," solidly Democratic, that is. A State Republican party organization that never won elections but had been a conduit of Republican White House patronage in the 1920s remained dominated in 1950 by a handful of males who did not exactly go looking for women's help. Dwight Eisenhower's campaigns in 1952 (first versus ultraconservative Senator Robert Taft for the nomination and then against Democrat Adlai Stevenson in November) electrified Republican women in Texas. Beginning around Dallas and later in the Hill Country, they came together and inspired other women to do the same. In 1961 Texas women made the difference when Republican John Tower won a special election to Vice President Lyndon Johnson's former Senate seat. Texas Republican women reacted with enthusiasm to charismatic national candidates like Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. In the 1974 race for Texas Land Commissioner, Mary Lou Grier was the first woman to run for state wide office since 'Ma' Ferguson was governor.

'HOW TO': Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison leads a chorus of Texas women identifying clubs as the cradle of today's State Republican party. Republican Women's Clubs began with coffees in members' homes and grew to have their own Political Action Committees (PACs) and to recruit and then support candidates for office. Club women studied AFL-CIO organization manuals, watched polls, made friends of the media and became winning candidates themselves.

GRASSROOTS WOMEN anecdotally and humorously covers every aspect of politicking. Take the role of money in campaigns. June Deason, Republican campaign manager from San Antonio, told the author in an interview that with enough money she could elect her basset hound (who was also present for the interview). On what basis elect him? " 'Well, he's photogenic and probably as smart as some of those we've got in office already. ... you have his honest countenance. Isn't that right, Clyde? The sincere look and the fact that he loves children. Because he's got short legs, he's really closer to the people. He's right down to the ground on all the issues. He was bred to be honest.' " (p. 331)

Across America political activists of any party will find in GRASSROOTS WOMEN powerful "how to" tips from the women who, against great odds, re-invented the Texas G.O.P.

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